The adoptive children and the new nanny
by Grimm48
Summary: Summary: Ryan gets adopted by the Ross family after Sandy Cohen a friend of the family informed them of his situation. Pairing: Ryan x Jessie
1. Prologue

The adoptive children and the new nanny

Disclaimer: I don't own the O.C or Jessie

Summary: Ryan gets adopted by the Ross family after Sandy Cohen a friend of the family informed them of his situation. Pairing: Ryan x Jessie

|end of episode 1: after the science fare (all of the Ross children went to support Emma) |

"Alright guys let's go home." Morgan Ross tells his family while they make their way to the car.

"Honey, do you think we should tell them now?" Christina Ross whispers to her husband.

"Nah, it'll work out." Morgan replies in his carefree attitude and gets in the car with his family, only telling his children "When we get home we have a surprise for you guys." Making the 4 children cheer in anticipation.

|15 minutes later - at the Ross's apartment|

Once the elevator stops on their floor the family steps into the living room.

"Why is it so cold?" Zuri, the youngest of the family asks.

"Someone left the balcony door open." Jessie says and goes over to close it, until she sees a teen maybe a year or two younger than her standing on the balcony, taking in the city below him.

Back in the living room Luke starts to pester his parents for the surprise, asking them what it is multiple times until the family hears Jessie asks someone "What are you doing here?"

Morgan goes onto the balcony and motions the teen to come over and announces "Alright family, this is the surprise we were talking about. Ryan here will be your new brother." Making his children look at him and Ryan shocked while Ryan is just standing beside his new foster father with an emotionless expression, glancing at the Redheaded girl who found him on the balcony.

"What? How come you didn't tell us anything?" Emma asks shocked with her siblings looking confused.

"Well, it was a surprise for us too. Our friend Sandy, I think you've met him once or twice met with us while we were filming and suggested for us to adopt Ryan, he already had the paperwork, and everything prepared to adopt Ryan himself, but his wife disagreed." Christina explains calmly.

"And why did you agree to take him in?" Luke questions making Ryan look down sadly at how his supposed future family is taking the news about him.

"Well you know us, we can never turn down a child in need, but this doesn't mean we love you any less, any of you." Morgan assures the four.

"Alright, well I think you know now what's going on. Let's get to know Ryan. Come in, let's talk over some ice cream." Christina suggests, leading the way to the kitchen with everyone following.

"So, where are you from new brother?" Ravi asks Ryan while they walk into the kitchen.

"Chino." Ryan replies sternly.

"Where is that?" He asks.

"On the west coast." Ryan says.

"Sit down everybody, let's eat and let me introduce you to everyone Ryan, this is Emma, Luke, Ravi, Zuri and our new nanny Jessie." Christina tells him, pointing at the respective children.

"Nice to meet you." Ryan tells them quietly.

"Nice to meet you too." Emma, Ravi and Zuri reply while Luke has already stuffed his face with ice cream and only waves hello.

Everyone then starts to eat some ice cream, chatting a bit with Ryan observing his new family quietly, sitting next to Jessie, when Mr. Kipling crawls in and knocks down Jessie's ice cream. Ryan flinches back after seeing the reptile, almost knocking over his chair when Christina tells him "Oh Ryan, don't worry. This is Mr. Kipling Ravi's pet from India. There is also one more person living here and that is our butler Bertram, he must be already asleep."

"Again." Jessie mumbles before Mr. Kipling starts to eat Jessie's knocked over ice cream and scolds him "Mr. Kipling, you already had your desert. You are grounded. Go to your cage." Making the Lizard scurry off towards Ravi's room.

"Well it is getting late, I think we should call it a night, we can get to know our new family member tomorrow, come on Ryan let me show you to your room." Morgan decides, leaving the kitchen with Ryan and showing him his new room, in which is only a bed and a nightstand.

"Sorry it's so sparse, but since we didn't expect to adopt you so quick…" Morgan tells him.

"Don't worry, I'm already grateful as it is. Not many people would adopt someone straight out of juvie." Ryan replies thankfully.

"Don't worry, Sandy filled us in on everything. We just hope you'll be happy with us." Morgan says, pulling Ryan in for a hug.

"Good night." He tells him and leaves Ryan alone in the room.

Once his new father left Ryan throws his duffle bag beside the nightstand and lies down on the bed, trying to process being part of a new family and trying to sleep.

Soon after everyone goes to his own room to get some sleep and Christina visits Jessie in her new room, knocking on the door.

"Come in, oh Christina, is something wrong? Did Mr. Kipling sneak out of Ravi's room again?" Jessie asks her employee.

"No no, I just thought you should know that you shouldn't be surprised if Ryan has some trust issues and won't necessarily open up at first." Christina says.

"Why is that?" Jessie asks.

"Well his biological father has been in jail for quite some time already, he got arrested because his brother stole a car and he was also there, his brother is now also in jail. I think he has a 3-year sentence. And his mother just disappeared after his brother got arrested, so to him it's like everybody just leaves him, but if you want more details, I think you should ask him yourself. We tried to get him to talk but he avoids the topic of his family as much as possible. Maybe you will have some more success with him since you are only 1 ½ years older than him." Christina explains.

"Sounds like a tough life. But trust me, I'll do my best to make him feel as welcome as you've made me feel." Jessie replies confidently.

"Thank you and good night, I think we'll have a long day ahead of us." Christina says and leaves the room.


	2. Mr Kiplings rescue

The adoptive children and the new nanny

|5 hours after everyone went to bed|

Jessie is having a nightmare about being eaten by a Godzilla sized lizard and wakes up freaked out but quickly realizes that it was only a dream and lies back down to sleep, when she sees Mr. Kipling sitting on her bed, staring at her making Jessie scream.

Two rooms over Ryan is still having trouble sleeping, troubled by his mom abandoning him and his brother getting them arrested when he hears someone scream loudly and rushes out of the room to Jessie's room since he assumes that it was her screaming and barges in shouting "What's wrong? Are you OK?"

"Wha.. Yeah, Mr. Kipling just freaked me out." Jessie tells him huffing and points at the lizard sitting on her bed.

"Oh, good. Here, I'll take him to Ravi's room. Wait which one is it again?" Ryan offers, picking up the lizard, not sure how to hold the animal.

"Thank you. It's the room across from yours." Jessie says.

Ryan then leaves with Mr. Kipling, opens Ravi's door and shoves the Lizard in the room before going back over to Jessie's room.

Ryan sticks his head through the still open door and asks, "Are you going to be OK?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just have to get used to a Lizard randomly appearing from now on I guess. Sorry for waking you, I've only been here for like 2 days and am still getting used to everything but look who I'm talking to." Jessie replies.

"Yeah, it's all a bit much. Two days ago, I was in Juvi, yesterday my lawyer's family throws me out and now I live with 4 new siblings, 2 parents and 2 employees. No offense." Ryan tells her, leaning himself against the doorway.

"I think I should tell you, Christina told me the short version of what happened with you, I'm sorry that your mom bailed on you." Jessie says looking at him concerned.

"I'm better off alone anyways." Ryan says coldly before going out of the doorway and closes the door with a quick "good night".

"Maybe I shouldn't have brought up his mom." Jessie mumbles to herself before she lies back down, trying to fall asleep only succeeding 20 minutes later.

Meanwhile Ryan went back to his room and falls down on his bed face first and just tries to forget about everything until he falls asleep soon after.

* * *

|The next morning|

After everyone other than Ryan has woken up they meet up in the kitchen to eat some breakfast, where Morgan and Christina announce that they're sorry, but they have to go back to work on the film and ask Jessie to tell Ryan that should he want something for his room or otherwise he should ask Bertram to get it for him.

After the parents left, everyone is still in the kitchen talking.

"So why did the new guy not show up yet?" Luke asks everyone in the room.

"I think he didn't get much sleep last night, he came to help me get Kipling out of my room late in the night and I don't think he slept at all until then." Jessie informs the others.

"What? getting visits from other men already?" Luke says faking pain.

"Well it must be a big adjustment for him same as it is for me." Ravi says, being the newest family member until Ryan came.

"What's there to adjust to? He should just listen to me and ignore you guys." Luke brags

"Ryan went from having one older brother to having 4 younger siblings and house staff, I think you should give him some time." Jessie tells the others.

"Now, we have to talk with Mr. Kipling Ravi." Jessie tells him, leading the Indian boy to his room.

"Mr. Kipling, you are getting a timeout and no TV for a week." Jessie says, closing the Lizard's cage.

"I think you are being very harsh. Mr. Kipling payed you a visit because he gets bored in his cage. Plus he's a cuddler." Ravi defends his friend.

"Oh that explains the claw marks on my calves." Jessie says sarcastically, when Emma walks into the room.

"Jessie, I have a problem, I love my Photography class." Emma tells her.

"OK, I know I`m new at this whole nanny thing but I'm not seeing a problem." Jessie replies.

"The problem is I got the worlds laziest partner for this assignment." Emma complains, handing her a paper with the information for the class.

"You call it lazy, I call it selective participation." Luke tells his sister, walking up behind her.

"Now, Jessie give me pouting nanny." Luke says, aiming his camera at Jessie, taking a picture.

"Ok, that was more like constipated nanny, but I can touch it up. I can't believe I get school credit for taking pictures of cute girls." Luke says excited.

"The assignment is to take pictures of New York's flora and fauna." Emma reminds her brother.

"Oh, I hope those are hot latin twins." Luke grins making the girls in the room roll their eyes at him.

The door across from Ravi's opens and Ryan comes out in his usual attire of Jeans, wifebeater and hoodie.

"Is it always this lively in the morning?" Ryan asks his new family, walking over to them.

"Usually, but it's closer to noon actually, you overslept." Emma tells him.

"Oh, sorry. Anyway where are your parents?" Ryan asks the others yawning with a hand over his mouth.

"They had to leave to finish shooting a film, from what your siblings told me they aren't around much. They asked me to tell you that if you need something you should talk to Bertram, he'll get it for you." Jessie informs him, making Ryan look disappointed.

"Where is the kitchen?" Ryan asks nodding curtly.

"down that hall." Jessie tells him, pointing towards the kitchen and Ryan takes off, headed to get something to eat.

"Getting back on topic, we are going to the park. That way you guys can work on your assignment and Ravi can take Mr. Kipling for a walk, or slither." Jessie decides.

"No no no, we can not take Mr. Kipling for a walk." Ravi tells her.

"If Mrs. Chesterfield sees him she'll throw a hissy-fit." Emma informs Jessie.

"She's the head of the condo board." Luke adds.

"Oh, is she that annoying lady downstairs who is always carrying around that homely baby?" Jessie asks.

"It's a dog." Luke replies.

"You're telling me. Someone whammed that child with the ugly stick." Jessie says amused.

"He means it's a chihuahua." Emma explains.

"It's Chi-hideaus." Jessie jokes.

"Look Ravi, I'm not gonna let some old grouch from keeping you walking your pet. We'll just ask Tony to make sure the coast is clear." Jessie tells him.

"I'm on it." Tony says over the speaking system.

"Tony are you eavesdropping again?" Jessie asks annoyedly.

"Now that I was caught, yes." Tony replies.

* * *

A few minutes later in the kitchen, Ravi is waiting for the others while Ryan is eating a sandwich and Bertram is working in the kitchen while, ordering something on the phone.

"I need a loaf of bread. A pound of Cheddar cheese, two pounds of Roast beef, a jumbo Jar of mayonnaise." Bertram orders until Ravi cuts in.

"Bertram, when you are done ordering your lunch, do not forget to order Mr. Kipling a snack." Ravi reminds him, making Ryan grin at the joke.

"Fine, do you any frog legs?" Bertram asks the store on the other line.

"He does not like the legs." Ravi reminds the butler.

"How about frog breasts?" Bertram asks awkwardly over the phone.

"Can I buy those? Uhm, that is my business. Hello?" Bertram says, before hearing that they hung up.

"And now I'll have to find a new grocer." Bertram says annoyedly.

Jessie then yells from the living room that it's time to go and Ravi hops off his chair and asks Ryan, "new brother do you want to come to the park with everyone?"

"I guess, have to get to know the area anyways." Ryan agrees and follows his younger brother.

"Alright, let's go. Come on, come on. Move it." Jessie ushers everyone into the elevator, when Mr. Kipling slaps Jessie with his tail.

"Whoa. Keep your tail to yourself." Jessie tells him.

"Yeah, she's mine." Luke challenges the Lizard.

"No, I'm not all my boyfriends have to be at least 17 and human." Jessie replies.

"So Luke, you're 0/2" Emma taunts her brother as the elevator doors close.

"Why the hurry?" Ryan asks.

"The head of the condo board can't see Mr. Kipling or we could get in trouble." Jessie explains.

"Alright." Ryan replies.

* * *

Once they reach the lobby Tony sees Mrs. Chesterfield walk in and stops the Ross family from coming out of the elevator, while he stalls Mrs. Chesterfield.

"Hey there Mrs. Chesterfield that was a short walk." Tony tells her.

"I know but we're tired today, last night that noise from those little urchins upstairs was intolerable." Mrs. Chesterfield replies, squeezing the dog on her arm before she lets it lick her lips.

"Hey no pda in the lobby, well better get your beauty rest." Tony says, pressing the elevator button and leading her into the one without the Ross family.

He then knocks on the elevator door and everyone comes out coughing other than Luke, Jessie and Ryan because Luke farted in the elevator cabin.

"Luke you couldn't wait until we were outside?" Emma asks accusingly.

"Hey it wasn't me, it was Mr. Kiplings." Luke defends himself.

"Oh sure, blame the Lizard." Ravi says, holding Mr. Kiplings on a leash.

Everyone then leaves the lobby and goes to the park across the street.

* * *

|A while later – in the park|

"Jessie thank you so much for bringing Mr. Kipling to the park, look how happy he is." Javi says excited.

"Ever notice how his, I'm happy face and his I'm gonna eat you face are really similar?" Jessie asks nervously. Making Javi nod his head thoughtfully.

Over at a chess table Luke is taking pictures with his phone while Emma is reading up on their assignment.

"Ohh cockroach." Luke says, taking a picture of it.

"Luke, help me or I'll tell Jessie you still sleep with Kenny the Koala." Emma challenges her brother.

"Kenny just likes to hang out in my bed, don't turn it into something ugly." Luke defends himself.

"OK, OK" Luke gives in seeing his sister's stare and takes the camera, aiming it towards the sky when he sees something.

"No way. I can see right into Bertram's room. Ugh, he's shaving his own back. I wanna look away but I can't. Oh great, a giant bird just blocked my view." Luke says lowering the camera.

"What? Let me see. I think that giant bird is a heisenbelly hawk. This book says that they're incredibly rare." Emma says excitedly.

"Not as rare as guy shaving his back with a razor ductaped to a spatula." Luke says and gets back to spying on Bertram.

"Jessie come help me." Zuri yells from the slide, making Jessie hurry over asking "Zuri, what happened?" concerned.

"this mean girl Genevieve hit me." Zuri says angrily.

"What? Where is she?" Jessie asks looking around but sees no one.

"She's right there, sticking her tongue out at you." Zuri explains, pointing next to her.

"Oh, I get it. Genevieve that is not very nice." Jessie tells Zuri's imaginary friend.

"She's over there." Zuri says adjusting Jessie's head.

"Genevieve, apologize. Right now! See Zuri, she says she's very sorry." Jessie plays along.

"No she didn't." Zuri replies.

"Then what did she say?" Jessie asks.

"I'm not allowed to use that kind of language. But it was nasty." Zuri replies and walks off.

"Looks like you have your work cut out for you." Ryan tells her, walking up to her with a drink he bought.

"Tell me about it, how am I supposed to treat an imaginary friend?" Jessie asks disappointed at what just happened.

"Just keep trying, you'll get it eventually. I think it's great you care so much, back in Chino a nanny would have been some dude keeping you locked up, and if he didn't smoke while doing it he would have already been considered a good nanny." Ryan tells her.

"So it's a pretty rough neighborhood you grew up in huh?" Jessie asks.

"Yeah well, maybe I can stick around here for a while before I get kicked out." Ryan says quietly but Jessie still hears him.

"come on I don't think Morgan and Christina would do that." Jessie tells him, trying to get him to view the world more positively.

"We'll see, anyway do you know if someone around here is employing?" Ryan asks her.

"No, I've only been here for half a week myself. Are you looking for a job already?" Jessie asks surprised, since he's now the foster son of a famous and rich couple.

"I'm nobody's charity case." Ryan replies.

"Come on I think the others want to go back." Ryan tells her, helping her down the platform leading to the slides since she's wearing heels.

After a quick "thanks" Jessie and Ryan collect Zuri and Ravi to get back to their hotel, while Emma and Luke work on their project.

* * *

|hotel lobby|

Tony is talking to Jessie on the phone, who called to check if the coast is Chesterfield clear.

"You can bring Mr. Kipling back now, Mrs. Chesterfield is not here." Tony tells Jessie before hanging up the phone while Mrs. Chesterfield walks up behind him, having just arrived in the elevator.

"Mrs. Chesterfield, you're here." Tony says shrieking back at seeing her waiting behind him.

"Who is avoiding me?" She questions.

"Uhh, pretty much everyone in the building. You scare people. And there goes my Christmas tip." Tony replies.

"Here is a tip, when the president of the condo board asks you something, answer it. What's going on." Mrs. Chesterfield demands.

"Whatever it is, it has nothing to do with a giant Lizard." Tony replies, looking at Jessie and the others making their way through the lobby with Mr. Kipling.

Mrs. Chesterfield turns around, sees the Lizard and hops on a table, shielding her dog's eyes from having to see the lizard.

"You people have a vicious cold-blooded reptile living in the building?" Mrs. Chesterfield says shocked.

"Why not, you live here." Zuri replies.

"Zuri, that is not nice." Jessie tells her.

"We were all thinking it." Zuri says disagreeing.

"Hi, I'm Jessie and I…" Jessie starts to introduce herself.

"I don't care. Giant Lizards are not allowed in this building." Mrs. Chesterfield tells them as Tony helps her off the table.

"Please Mrs. Chesterfield do not take away my pet." Ravi pleads.

"Pet? It's not a pet, it's a before picture of a pair of boots and a matching belt." Mrs. Chesterfield says and grabs a leash from Jessie, which turns out to be the one with Mr. Kipling.

Everyone tries to stop Mrs. Chesterfield but she's already in the elevator with the doors closing. And a second after you can hear a scream and clothes ripping.

Mrs. Chesterfield opens the elevator door and rushes out, with her skirt ripped up.

"Ups, you took the wrong leash." Jessie says.

"Oh did I? Thanks for the newsflash Bessie." Mrs. Chesterfield says angrily.

"Jessie, I can not loose Mr. Kipling, he's my best friend." Ravi says.

"I'm sorry Ravi, if I hadn't suggested taking Mr. Kipling for a walk this wouldn't have happened." Jessie apologizes

"I agree, if only you could have had this aha moment earlier." Ravi accuses her with Zuri and Tony nodding their heads agreeing.

"blaming someone is not going to help the situation, Jessie was only trying to help you Ravi and we'll have to come up with a plan to keep Mrs. Chesterfield from getting her hands on Mr. Kipling." Ryan cuts in, standing up for Jessie as they make their way upstairs.

* * *

|soon after – in the apartment|

Luke and Emma are on the balcony with Emma trying to get a picture of the hawk nesting across the street and Luke just playing video games to pass the time.

"Ugh, that stupid hawk won't move." Emma says disappointed.

"Why have you added 10 pounds of Rodents to my shopping list? A sudden craving for mice crispy treats?" Bertram asks the two, arriving on the balcony.

"We need bait to get the hawk to fly so we can get an actual shot for our photo essay." Emma explains.

"All its doing is sitting there like a lump, if it were watching Korean soap operas in its underwear it could be you Bertram." Luke jokes.

"Oh, very funny if you need me I'll be inside, spitting in your lunch." Bertram replies going back to the kitchen.

In the meantime, Jessie is in Ravi's room trying to calm him down when Zuri walks in and complains about her imaginary friend. Jessie advises Zuri to be nice to Genevieve and kill her with kindness, when she gets the idea to handle the Mrs. Chesterfield situation in the same way.

Almost an hour later Jessie is downstairs, knocking on Mrs. Chesterfields door and gets the door slammed in her face after Mrs. Chesterfield sees that it's her.

"I brought cookies." Jessie says luring Mrs. Chesterfield to open the door again.

"What kind?" She asks.

"They are I'm sorry you almost got eaten by a giant lizard but please let him stay cause it would mean so much to a little boy cookies. Picante Sandie's." Jessie replies, adding the actual kind once the door closes again.

"Well maybe just one. It is our cheat day, right my little Zeusi? Binge with mommie." Mrs. Chesterfield says and starts to eat the cookie together with her dog, making Jessie laugh awkwardly.

"OW. I just bit into a picante shell you broke my tooth." Chesterfield yells.

"I'm sorry, you were supposed to love the cookies so we could bond …" Jessie explains.

"the only bonding will be done by my dentist and I'm sending you the bill." Chesterfield replies angrily.

"Fine, fine but please don't take Ravi's lizard away." Jessie begs her.

"I wouldn't dream of it that is animal control's job and I'm calling them right now." Chesterfield tells her pissed off and closes the door.

Jessie hurries upstairs and storms into Ravi's room telling him "OK, don't panic. I broke Mrs. Chesterfields tooth and she's calling animal control to take Mr. Kipling away."

Ravi in reply curses loudly in Hindi, causing Ryan to come out of his room to check what's wrong.

"I hope that means that even though you are upset you don't blame me because I did my best." Jessie says.

"No it means I curse the day you were born you bumbling she-devil." Ravi replies angrily.

"Well, someone is not getting a cookie." Jessie says hurt and puts her basket of cookies on a table.

Ryan walks over to his new brother and whispers to him that he should apologize because he hurt Jessie.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, I just can't bear to see Mr. Kipling so upset." Ravi apologizes, hugging Jessie.

"Look Ravi, we have to get Mr. Kipling out of the building." Jessie tells him.

"As I recall, you getting Kipling out of the building is what started this spiral of doom in the first place." Ravi says through gritted teeth.

"Are we assigning blame here or saving a lizard?" Jessie asks.

"I'm doing a little bit of both." Ravi replies.

"Well if animal control is coming Jessie is right, he's a sitting duck here." Ryan agrees with her.

"Fine." Ravi agrees reluctantly.

A few minutes later Ravi, Jessie and Ryan are in the elevator with Mr. Kipling on a cart with stuffed animals and a blonde wig on the lizards head.

"Tony are we all clear?" Jessie asks Tony over the phone.

"Yeah, all clear." Tony replies.

"Are you sure?" Jessie questions.

"Yes, man a guy makes one mistake." Tony says and turns around only to see two animal control people standing right behind him.

"If you guys are looking for a large lizard I can assure you he's not here. Lizards hate lobbies, they prefer lounges." Tony tells them shoving them in the empty elevator beside the one Jessie, Ryan and Ravi just arrived in.

"What is unclear to you about the phrase all clear?" Jessie asks Tony.

"uhm guys." Ryan tries to get Ravi and Jessie's attention since Mr. Kipling is crawling off the cart and back into the elevator but they ignore him so he decides to follow the lizard quickly.

"It does seem fairly self-explanatory." Ravi agrees with Jessie.

"Come on we gotta get Mr. Kipling out of the building until those guys leave. Wait where did Ryan go?" Jessie says.

"No problem. Kipling is already gone, and the dude hurried back in the elevator. Who is he by the way?" Tony tells her.

"OK don't panic!" Jessie yells taking off the stuffed animals from the cart as Ravi starts to run in a circle cursing in Hindi.

"OK, now he's not very good in a crisis. And the guy who was with us is his new brother Ryan." Jessie tells Tony.

* * *

Meanwhile at the apartment

Mrs. Chesterfield is ringing on the door with the animal control people asking Zuri who opens the door "Hello little girl, may we come in?"

"No! And Jessie says I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." Zuri replies.

"I'm Mrs. Chesterfield from downstairs, I'm not strange." Mrs. Chesterfield tells her.

"That is a matter of opinion." Zuri disagrees but Mrs. Chesterfield just walks through the door telling her "out of my way."

"You are strange and rude, and you have dog breath." Zuri complains running after Chesterfield and the two men, who are going to Ravi's room.

"Nothing to see here." Zuri yells.

"Aha, if there is no giant lizard living in this apartment, then how do you explain this?" Chesterfield asks her pointing at the tubes for Kipling to crawl through.

"It's an indoor playground. Guess they didn't have those around when you were a kid." Zuri lies.

"How dare you, I'm only 32." Mrs. Chesterfield replies shocked.

"Maybe in dog years." Zuri taunts.

"So you're claiming this contraption is yours?" Chesterfield asks.

"Absolutely. It's mine. And it doesn't smell bad in here at all." Zuri tells her as she starts to crawl through the tubes.

"then how do you explain all these tiny animal skeletons?" Chesterfield asks looking in the cage.

"you have your hobbies and I have mine." Zuri replies.

Not long after Chesterfield and the animal control guys leave the apartment since they can't find the lizard while Jessie and Ravi are running around all over the building looking for Mr. Kipling.

* * *

Earlier on the roof.

"Hmm it's roomy up here." Ryan says as he walks out of the elevator with Mr. Kipling, having decided to wait out animal control on the roof.

"Come on Kipling, I'm sure you'll like it here, Lizard love sunlight right?" Ryan says as he carries Kipling to the middle of the roof, where he sits down leaned against the ledge.

"So, do you think I'll fit in here?" Ryan asks the lizard sighing making Kipling walk over to him and lick his hand.

"Well looks like I have at least one friend already." Ryan chuckles lightly, patting the lizzards back lightly.

"Do you think the others will like me?" Ryan asks the lizard, lying down sideways, looking at the lizard, who looks back at him, sticking his tongue out every so often.

"Look who I'm talking to, it's not like you can really answer and it didn't look like Bertram and Jessie are very fond of you either huh?" Ryan says.

"You know you'll be the first pet I ever lived with." Ryan tells the lizard smiling lightly before reverting back to his emotionless face.

A while later Ryan decides that they have waited enough and should see if they can go back to the apartment, but when they arrive with the elevator they hear Mrs. Chesterfield in the apartment and Kipling quickly hits a button to take them to another floor.

"Wow, you're really smart for a lizard." Ryan says impressed. Coincidentially Kipling pressed the button to the floor beneath theirs, which means Mrs. Chesterfield's floor.

As Kipling and Ryan are walking around the floor they turn around when they hear someone coming down the stairs and quickly hide behind a corner once they see it's Mrs. Chesterfield.

Mr. Kipling then crawls though a vent and seeing no other choice if he wants to keep the lizard from being taken away he squeezes in, following the reptilian luckily having enough space in the vents despite his size.

After a few turns Mr. Kipling leads them out of a vent and Ryan is about to follow, when he sees Mrs. Chesterfield standing on the balcony, complaining on the phone while her dog is sitting on a chair. Looking up he can see Luke and Emma observe what Kipling is doing.

Meanwhile Jessie and Ravi ran downstairs, knocking on Chesterfields door and force themselves in, rushing out to the balcony, where they see Kipling in front of Zeus with Ryan standing next to the lizard with cobwebs all over his clothes.

"Oh my little Zeus, mommy will save you." Chesterfield says as she walks over to the three, making Kipling hiss at her.

"No I won't" she says and flees from the lizard.

On the floor above them Emma and Luke hear the hawk screech and try to take a picture when they see that the hawk is flying towards Chesterfield's dog.

"I think it wants the chihuahua." Emma says.

"Everybody loves Mexican." Luke jokes.

On Chesterfield's balcony everyone looks up as they hear the hawk approach and are stunned when the hawk, who was trying to get to Zeus gets knocked away by Mr. Kipling's tail, causing it to fly off the roof.

"I got it. Now that is an action shot." Luke says excitedly, having taken a picture of Kipling rescuing the hawk.

"Nice work K." Ryan says with a surprised expression.

"Oh my little Zeus, mommy has you, stop trembling. Oh, that's me. I'll call Zoya and book us an emergency couples massage." Chesterfield says, picking up the dog.

"Gee, must feel pretty bag almost loosing your pet like that." Jessie says.

"It does, if I lost Zeus, who would I watch real housewife's with?" Chesterfield asks.

"Now you know how Ravi feels about Mr. Kipling." Jessie remarks.

"Do you and Mr. Kipling watch the real housewife's of New York too?" Chesterfield asks.

"Oh absolutely. But if you want to see a real catfight, you should see the real housewife's of New Deli." Ravi tells her.

"See how we are all bonding." Jessie says.

"So does this mean that Mr. Kipling can stay?" Ravi asks hopefully as Ryan comes over with Kipling in his arms.

"I didn't say that." Chesterfield says.

"Come one, if it weren't for his lizard, your dog would be a yappy meal." Jessie says.

"Alright, just promise to keep that disturbing creature away from me." Mrs. Chesterfield tells them.

"Deal, you will never see Mr. Kipling again." Jessie agrees.

"I was talking about Zuri, she is a very strange child." Mrs. Chesterfield tells her making Jessie and Ravi nod in agreement.

"Well anyway, I think this is yours." Ryan says handing Ravi his lizard, who accepts the reptilian excitedly.

"By the way how did you get on the balcony?" Jessie asks Ryan, brushing off some remaining cobwebs.

"I hid with Kipling on the roof and when we came down we had to hide, and Kipling chose the vents." Ryan explains.

"The roof. Why didn't I think of that?" Jessie says.

"Yeah, why didn't you think of that." Ravi asks accusingly.

"Lay off Jessie Ravi, it all worked out, no need to hold grudges." Ryan tells his little brother.

"I guess you're right. Come on let's go, Kipling wants to have a snack." Ravi replies and takes off headed for their apartment.

"Thank you for your help." Jessie thanks Ryan as they follow Ravi to their apartment.

"No problem, I like the little guy." Ryan tells her.

"Yeah Ravi is a nice kid, if he isn't cursing you in Hindi." Jessie chuckles.

"Don't mind that, he was just upset but actually I was talking about Kipling, we bonded on the roof." Ryan says smirking.

"Seriously?" Jessie asks doubtfully.

"Yeah, once you get over the whole 'Oh my god he can kill me' thing you actually see that he's pretty cool. Give it time, you'll get there too." Ryan tells her.

"OK, I'm just not sure if I wanna get there." Jessie replies making Ryan laugh.

"So can I count on you for any future nanny problems, seeing as how you're the only other responsible one, I don't think Bertram will be much help." Jessie asks him.

"Yeah I think you're right about that and sure, count me in I'll help you as much as I can but I have no real experience with younger kids." Ryan tells her.

"Neither do I, I'm actually in New York trying to become an actress." Jessie tells him.

"Cool, I'm looking forward to seeing you on TV then." Ryan tells her supportingly.

"Thank you, you know you're actually the first one to think I can do it." Jessie says cheerfully and gives him a kiss on his cheek.


	3. How not to date Tony

The adoptive children and the new nanny

|a few days later|

Bertram and Ryan are in the living room of the apartment. Bertram is dusting off the piano and the pictures located on it while Ryan is wiping the floor when Emma rushes downstairs and asks Bertram excitedly "Bertram, is my new issue of LeopardBee here?"

"One moment." He answers and puts on a pair of noise cancelling headphones before handing the magazine to her with a sullen expression.

Emma in reply screams loudly, excited to read through her new magazine and jumps on the couch.

"What's wrong who is hurt? First aid kid or ambulance?" Jessie asks hurriedly running into the room after hearing the scream.

Ryan only points at Emma while trying to get the ringing out of his ears.

"My LeopardBee magazine came, this month is a special feature on bra stuffing. Which is better, tissues or socks?" Emma tells Jessie.

"Spoiler alert, it's neither. Quilted toilet paper, you're welcome." Jessie replies.

"I'll put that on the shopping list." Bertram says sadly as passes them to walk into the kitchen.

"So Ryan, how is helping out around the house working for you?" Jessie asks him.

"Well other than Bertram being as excited about housework as Luke is about showers it's good. Beats looking for another job getting hassled by rich kids." Ryan tells her.

"Says the kid with the millionaire foster parents." Jessie says.

"Hey, I'm earning my own money, granted I get paid a lot more than I would at a normal job but still at least I'm working for it." Ryan tells her.

"True and I respect that but still how do you get paid more for a few hours of cleaning than me and Bertram for watching the other guys full time." Jessie asks confused.

"Take it up with the parents." Ryan tells her smirking.

"Well if I'm ever short for a new pair of boots you're the first one I come to." Jessie says as they hear the apartment door open.

Everyone walks into the kitchen, which is adjacent to the entrance door to see who is there and Tony greets them "What up penthouse?"

"What up Tony?" Jessie greets back.

"Hey Jessie, I brought you a welcome to New York basket." Tony tells her.

"Oh thanks Tony. New York subway map, metro cards and pepper spray?" Jessie says as she inspects the items in the basket.

"Is this in case I'm a victim of as-salt?" Jessie jokes making Tony laugh and Ryan, who is washing some dishes grin while Emma just looks at them funnily since she didn't think it was funny.

Tony then leaves to get back to the lobby while Bertram tells them that he's tired and going to sleep and Ryan should do whatever for his remaining half hour.

"You know this was really nice from Tony." Jessie says looking over the metro cards.

"Nice and obvious. Tony is in love. It's all here in LeopardBee." Emma tells her from her seat at the counter.

"Sure fire signs a guy's crushing on you. First he surprises you with presents." Jessie reads after taking the magazine from Emma.

"Tony gave you the welcome basket." Emma says.

"Second he'll laugh at your jokes." Jessie reads.

"Tony laughed when you said victim of as-salt." Emma adds.

"Yeah, cuz it was funny." Jessie replies laughing.

"No, it wasn't. LeopardBee is never wrong, it's my roadmap." Emma replies hyped up.

"Your roadmap has a holographic picture of Taylor Lawton." Jessie tells her handing her back the magazine.

"I know, when you turn it this way his shirt comes off. Off, On, Off, On. Wanna see?" Emma tells her while playing with the picture.

"Pass. Ryan what do you think? You're a guy." Jessie asks him.

"Well the stuff from the magazine doesn't need to mean anything but Emma could be right. I mean you're funny, good looking, there is no real reason why Tony couldn't like you." Ryan tells her as he's drying the dishes he just washed.

"You think so? Well even if Tony did like me I'm not going to date him. I learned back in Texas that you never date someone you work with." Jessie tells them.

"Aww, did you get your heart broken by a rodeo clown?" Emma asks.

"Actually, yes but I was referring to last summer, when I was working at senior Cluck Chicketeria. Everything was going fine till I broke up with the assistant manager and got put on plucking duty." Jessie tells them.

"You do realize that since you're a full-time nanny you won't have much free time so pretty much everyone you'll meet will be involved with work." Ryan reminds her.

"If everything works out I won't have to work here much longer and am gonna be an actress, so I'll have enough time to date then." Jessie replies.

"Anyways Jessie I'm gonna need your help. I'm going to reorganize my closet and am gonna need your help shopping."

"You just need someone to carry your stuff why don't you ask Ryan?" Jessie tells her.

"Ryan in a fancy clothing store? No offense Ryan but you wouldn't really fit in." Emma replies.

"Hey as long as it keeps me from being your shopping mule anything works for me." Ryan says relieved that he won't get dragged around stores.

"It's settled then. Jessie come on we're going shopping." Emma exclaims and walks off, dragging Jessie along.

* * *

|A few hours later|

Emma and Jessie are coming back from shopping and Emma stops them as they reach the entrance of their building.

"OMG Tony is in the lobby." Emma says excitedly.

"FYI that's his job." Jessie replies and tries to go in.

"Wait, there is a chart in here which shows how much he likes you." Emma tells her.

"Another way to tell is if he gives you his toy from his extra value meal." Jessie jokes.

"It says here, if he touches you from shoulder to elbow you're in the friend zone. Elbow to wrist is the transitional zone and wrist to Fingertips is the romance Zone." Emma says excitedly.

"As long as he doesn't touch my end-zone." Jessie jokes as she walks into the lobby with Emma.

"Yo Jessie, check out the addition to my uniform, I got appulets." Tony tells her excitedly.

"He's upgrading his wardrobe. LeopardBees sure fire sign number four that he's crushing on you." Emma says pulling her to the side.

"So what do you have there?" Tony asks them, looking at the five bags Jessie is carrying.

"We are organizing Emma's closet. Again." Jessie tells him.

"We got shoe boxes, sweater boxes, hat boxes and a box for my socks." Emma says hyped up.

"Yeah and the party continues, cause tomorrow is hanger day." Jessie says sarcastically.

"Jessie, let me help you." Tony says taking her bags and putting them in the elevator for them.

"Thank you." Jessie says before Emma pulls her to the side telling her "Did you see that? He went right for your hands. He skipped two zones, he's a zone skipper."

"Emma relax, it's not like he's asking me out or anything." Jessie replies and enters the elevator with Emma.

"Hey Jessie, wanna have lunch in the park tomorrow?" Tony asks her as they walk past him.

"She'd love to, right Jessie?" Emma pushes her.

"I'd love to but I can't skip hanger day." Jessie excuses herself.

"You're excused." Emma tells her.  
"Great, see you tomorrow." Tony says as the elevator doors close.

* * *

Once they reach the apartment Emma runs ahead to her room, giddy that she was right about Tony.

Ryan who was sitting on the couch, reading a book he is going to need for a class once he starts at his new school sees that Jessie's struggling with the many bags puts down his book and helps her with the bags.

"So how was schopping with Mrs. LeopardBee is my roadmap?" Ryan asks her smirking.

"Actually, not as bad as I expected. She put me in a weird position in the lobby just now though." Jessie tells him while they carry the bags upstairs making their way to Emma's room.

"Really, what happened?" Ryan asks curiously.

"Well Tony asked me out to lunch tomorrow and I tried to decline but instead Emma agreed on my behalf." Jessie explains.

"OK, I'll have to keep in mind to stay clear of her, if I ever bring a girl over." Ryan says thoughtfully.

"I think that's a wise decision." Jessie agrees.

"So, what are you going to do about the date with Tony?" Ryan asks.

"I don't know the only thing I can think of is being as unattractive as possible and try to pass through as one of the guys." Jessie tells him.

"Sounds like a bad idea. I'd just tell him what you think." Ryan suggests.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Jessie replies sarcastically.

"Hey I'm just trying to help, forcing yourself to behave unattractive is most likely going to make things more awkward than actually telling him what you feel." Ryan says.

"And what makes you the relationship expert? Granted with your looks I'm sure you had a ton of girlfriends but any of them sticked around?" Jessie asks defensively.

"Actually I only had one real girlfriend, sure I had a few flings but only one serious girlfriend and she dumped me when my brother got us both arrested and me send to juvie." Ryan tells her saddened at the memory.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that." Jessie apologizes after seeing his sullen expression as he puts down the bags in front of Emma's room.

"It's OK you didn't know, no one did." Ryan replies and struts into his room, closing the door behind him and falls onto his bed sighing after taking off his dirtied and sweaty wife-beater.

Jessie brings the bags into Emma's room and tells her "I'll be right back, I just need to check on Ryan and the others real quick."

"OK." Emma replies cheerfully and starts pulling the boxes out of the bags.

Jessie walks over to Ryan's room and opens the door, sticking her head in and asks

"Hey, is everything OK? Do you want to talk about what you just told me?" Jessie asks then freezes as she sees that Ryan is lying on his bed sweaty and shirtless.

"Oh, sorry I should have knocked." Jessie stutters, feeling nervous while enjoying the sight of him shirtless.

"It's OK and no thanks I don't want to talk about it now maybe once it's not so fresh. I think I'm gonna see if I can get to know my new siblings a bit more I've only really spend some time with Ravi and that's mostly cuz I like his Lizard." Ryan tells her chuckling at the last part and gets up, putting on a T-shirt.

"I think that's a wonderful idea, one thing though don't talk about Zuri's friends not being real, she's either going to murder you or cry for hours either way I'll have a mess to clean up." Jessie tells him.

"Got it. Thanks and sorry if I was a little abrupt before." Ryan tells her as he walks out of his room, going over to Luke's room.

"It's OK, if anyone knows the horrors of dating it's me." Jessie tells him.

"So I've been told." Ryan replies smirking a little.

"Who blabbed? Zuri?" Jessie asks annoyed.

"Actually, it was a comment Bertram made. I think that's the only thing I know because of him. Seriously his orders for cleaning were 'do something with that floor, it's a bit dirty but soo far away.'" Ryan tells her, doing a Bertram expression.

"Sounds about right." Jessie agrees.

"Alright, I'm gonna see if Luke wants to play some videogames together." Ryan tells her.

"Be careful where you sit, Luke's room looks like it hasn't been cleaned since, well it's never been cleaned." Jessie warns him.

"Thanks, good luck with your wardrobe organizing." Ryan tells her before going into Luke's room and plays some videogames with his new little brother.

* * *

|The next day|

"Jessie you're gonna be late for your date with Tony!" Emma shouts from the living room, putting a toy tiara on Zuri while Ryan is sweeping the balcony.

"So how do I look?" Jessie asks posing dressed in a long sweater, jogging pants and rainboots as she makes her way down the stairs.

"Like Cinderella, before the bibidi-babidi-boo." Zuri says.

"Perfect these clothes will make Tony think of me as one of the guys and then he won't ask me for another date." Jessie tells them.

"Doesn't look that bad to me." Ryan says coming in from the balcony.

"Look Jessie, no matter how badly you dress or how your hair looks…" Emma says

"My hair always looks like this." Jessie replies.

"Ups." Zuri says while Emma looks awkwardly for a minute before getting back on topic.

"Well Tony is still gonna try to kiss you. And then you'll start dating…" Emma tells her drifting off in her own dreamworld.

"And knowing my history we'll have a hideous breakup and I'll have to walk up 30 flights of stairs, so I don't have to pass the lobby." Jessie tells them sitting down on the couch.

"So, you don't like Tony at all? Have you seen his new apelets?" Zuri asks her.

"Yes Zuri, and they are lovely but I'm not getting involved with him." Jessie tells her.

"Why not?" Zuri questions her disappointed.

"Because getting involved with someone you work with only makes things harder and Tony is not my type anyway he's way to cheerful and oblivious, I'm sure some women like that, I just don't at least not in a boyfriend." Jessie explains to her before getting up to get on the elevator.

"It's not too late you can still take my advice." Ryan tells her.

"Thanks, but I'll stick to my plan, After I'm done he won't want to get with this." Jessie tells him posing again.

"Sure, well good luck then I guess." Ryan tells her as the elevator door closes.

* * *

|In the park- a few minutes later|

Tony and Jessie are sitting on a bench in front of the playground as Tony gets out 4 containers of food and tells her the Italian names of what he brought.

"Are those foods or are you trying to cast a spell?" Jessie questions making Tony laugh out loud.

"You're one funny girl." He tells her and pulls out a baguette.

Jessie reacts quickly and rips off a part of the bread rudely before squatting down on the back support of the bench telling him "give me that!"

"Woah, I've never seen a girl eat like that, except my aunt Sofia, she could unhinge her jaw like an anaconda." Tony tells her.

"Well just think of me as one of the guys." Jessie replies.

"You're the prettiest guy I ever saw, except for Zack Afron, I'd have to go with that to jump ball." Tony says.

* * *

|A while later – in the lobby|

"OK that rain came out of nowhere." Jessie says having just jogged into the lobby with Tony who is carrying an umbrella from a hotdog cart.

"Heh, good thing I found this umbrella." Tony tells her putting it down against a wall.

"Found? It was attached to a hotdog cart." Jessie exclaims.

"Boy was he mad." Tony laughs.

"Who knew sauerkraut could be used as a weapon." Jessie says fishing a few strands of kraut out of her hair.

"You know Jessie, I really had a great time today." Tony says going towards her and leaning forward.

Inwardly Jessie is thinking that Tony is going to kiss her and shrieks out "No!" and uses pepper spray on him by reflex.

"Ahh, mace in the face! Why did you do that?" Tony yells while rubbing his eyes painfully.

"Because I wanted to keep things from being awkward between us." Jessie tells him.

"The only thing that could make it more awkward is if I lost a limb." Tony yells.

"come on all day long you've been trying to get with this." Jessie says making an erotic gesture.

"What are you talking about?" Tony shouts with his eyes still closed and stinging from the pepper spray.

"First you bring a romantic picknick." Jessie says.

"They were leftovers from my ma's poker game." Tony explains.

"Then you said I was one of the 2 prettiest guy's I've ever seen." Jessie continues.

"That's not exactly a compliment." Tony counters.

"Then you tried to kiss me." Jessie says.

"I was reaching for my Jacket." Tony yells putting his hand out for her to give him his Jacket back.

"Oh, then this is awkward." Jessie mumbles and hands him the Jacket.

"Wait, if you don't want to kiss me then why did you invite me out to the park?" Jessie questions.

"cause you're new in town and you don't have any friends and now I know why." Tony explains.

* * *

And with that Jessie hurries into the elevator and gets up to the apartment.

Once she enters Emma comes rushing into the living room.

"So how did your date with Tony go? I smell romance." She asks curiously.

"That's Sauerkraut, there is no romance between us and there never will be." Jessie tells her.

"I can't believe LeopardBee was wrong, I'll never read it again." Emma says throwing away the magazine she was carrying around.

"That's what you've learned?" Jessie asks dumbfounded and slowly follows after her, heading to her own room.

On the way there she passes by Ryan's room who is reading while lying on his bed, his only other furniture other than a nightstand in his room.

Looking up to see who's at his opened door he sees Jessie walk by his room looking disappointed.

He drops the book and jumps off his bed yelling after her "Hey wait up."

Jessie stops and waits for Ryan to come out of his room "What is it?" Jessie asks him once he stopped before her.

"I just wanted to ask how it went with Tony and why do you have Sauerkraut in your hair?" Ryan replies.

"It went horrible, he actually just wanted to be a good friend and I freak out and maced him and the Kraut is from an angry vendor." Jessie informs him.

"mace him? How'd that happen?" Ryan asks intrigued.

"I thought he was going to kiss me and I just reacted." Jessie explains sadly.

"Well at least he knows that you don't want to go out with him?" Ryan asks trying to find a silver lining.

"I guess but it got awkward between us now anyways." Jessie says.

"Well you can't change the past. Now I'd suggest you take a shower and afterwards we can all watch a movie together, what do you think?" Ryan suggest, picking out a few more strands of Kraut from her hair.

"Yeah thanks I think that's a good idea." Jessie agrees and goes into her room with a slightly elevated mood.

While Jessie is taking a shower, Ryan told his siblings to go to the media room so they can all watch a movie together. Once finished with her shower Jessie puts on a pair of pajamas and meets the others in the media room and they decide to watch a horror movie.

* * *

Half way into the movie almost everyone is cowering slightly, scared by the movie, Ravi has taken cover behind a chair and is shivering and Zuri is sitting on Jessie's lap while Luke is hiding at the back of the room.

"This is really scary." Emma says.

"I told you." Ravi whiles.

"Guys it's just a movie." Jessie tells them trying to calm them down but also shrieks back at the next scene and grabs to the seat right of her telling Ryan sacredly "hold my hand." While hurriedly clutching at his hand while Emma and Ravi do the same.

Ryan who wasn't that bothered by the movie looks at his now with Jessie intertwined hand and starts to feel something he thought he got rid of after his girlfriend dumped him as he got thrown in juvie.

'Oh man great I get a crush on the one girl who's against office romance.' Ryan thinks while looking at the scared Jessie. 'She is gorgeous though, I'd probably have fallen for her at some point anyways.'

At the entrance to the kitchen a dark clothed figure groans and goes towards them with its hand out stretched making everyone jump in their seat.

"Wait, it's just Luke trying to prank us." Ravi says.

"I'm right here." Luke tells them rushing over to the others.

The figure groans again and everyone gets ready to run when they see that Ryan already got up and knocked the clothed figure out.

"Let's see who it is." Ryan says as he pulls back the hood on the person.

"Ah I knew it, it was just Bertram." Ryan tells everyone before getting back to his seat making his siblings looks at him shocked.

"What? I've got some anger issues. Our parents already have me seeing a psychiatrist." Ryan explains feeling everyone's stare on him, making everyone nod their heads fearfully.

"Well let's enjoy the rest of the movie." Jessie says breaking the silence and sits down with the rest of the kids following.

"Thanks." Ryan whispers having seen that his siblings got scared of him.

"Don't mention it." Jessie replies before taking his hand again.

After the movie was over the kids all went to bed while Zuri was still clinging to Jessie.

"I better bring Zuri to bed and tuck her in." Jessie tells Ryan, lifting Zuri in her arms so she can carry her upstairs.

"Alright, I better wake him up now." Ryan says looking at the still downed butler and starts to shake him awake.

"Wha..?" Bertram moans as he wakes up.

"Sorry man, I thought you were a burglar." Ryan tells him while helping the butler to his feet.

"I better not try to scare anyone while you're around." Bertram says rushing out of his room.

"Well better get to bed too it's getting late." Ryan says to himself and goes to his room before he decides that he has to do something before he goes to sleep.

He picks up his phone and calls his new parents.

"Ryan? What's up isn't it like 11 o'clock over there?" Morgan asks.

"Yeah, sorry to call so late, I don't know what time zone you guys are in right now, anyway I wanted to ask you something." Ryan says.

"What is it Son? Is there a problem with your enrollment?" Morgan asks concerned.

"No, it's more personal advice. I know this might be a little weird, but I wanted to ask if it's OK with you guys that I might ask Jessie out someday." Ryan explains.

"Well neither me or your mom have a problem with it but if you decide to try going out you better not rush things she's a really great nanny for your siblings and they love her and I know from experience that if a relationship is rushed there is almost no chance of not making things difficult after a breakup." Morgan advises him after a short pause during which he talked to his wife.

"Yeah, I thought about that as well, but chances are she won't agree to go on a date anyways since she's not too excited about office romance. Thanks for being so cool about it, well I better get some sleep, good night." Ryan tells them.

"Night son." Morgan replies before hanging up the phone.

"Well that is one hurdle out of the way now it's up to Jessie I guess." Ryan murmurs to himself before he closes his eyes trying to sleep, while thinking of what to do next and how he could ask her out.


	4. paintball guns and stickers

|park – 1 week later|

"Up and back in 22 seconds, beat that Luke." An overweight kid challenges Luke, jumping down the last step from a climbing wall.

"Watch and learn, I'm going to climb this wall faster than a spider monkey on a sugar high." Luke tells him.

"Uh, Luke aren't you forgetting something?" Jessie asks him, getting a pink helmet for him.

"Oh yeah, Trevor let's put some money on this." Luke tells the other boy.

"No, no, no I didn't mean gambling, I meant using a helmet." Jessie tells him and puts the pink helmet on his head.

"Jessie, I can't wear this." Luke tells her embarrassed.

"Don't worry, I can fix the strap." She replies.

"No, I mean it's got a princess on it." Luke tells her.

"It's got a princess under it too." Trevor remarks.

"Look, I am sorry but safety comes first and I think you're getting a little sunburned." Jessie tells him and smears sun cream on his face.

"No, I'm fine and I'm going up. Trevor start timing me." Luke tells her, wiping the cream of his face.

"Wow the sunscreen is slippery." Luke says as he climbs a few ledges upwards before falling and getting caught by Jessie.

"You got 20 more seconds, maybe she can carry you up." Treveor taunts Luke.

"Alright, that's it. We're going to settle this like real men. By playing paintball in weird costumes." Luke tells him.

"You're on. Me and my brother Dirk are going to be gladiators and we're going to feed you to the lions." Trevor tells him and walks away.

"Yeah? Well my team's going to be Zombies and we're going to eat your brains." Luke replies.

"If you had any." Jessie agrees.

While this is going on in the park Zuri invited Emma to her tea party with her stuffed animals, who initially agreed until Emma's friend made her a better offer and she bails on Zuri's party.

* * *

After challenging Trevor to a paintball match Luke asks Ravi to be his partner and tries to teach the scared Indian boy how to behave in a match but it becomes disastrous when Trevor shows up with his heavy build 2 foot taller brother and intimidates him, causing Ravi to run away scared as he gets hit by Trevor shooting at him.

After their humiliating defeat by Trevor the two boys head home, where Luke hopes to find another partner.

"Wow, what happened to you Ravi?" Jessie asks the Indian boy as he and Luke arrive with the elevator.

"I was shot by a very mean boy." Ravi says and scaredly runs to his room.

"Man I need another partner." Luke scoffs as he gets out of the elevator.

"You know my dad taught me how to fieldstrip an ak 47 when I was in third grade fyi that won me the school talent show every time." Jessie tells him.

"So what does that have to do with anything?" Luke replies lost in thought.

"Oh for the love of god, pick me!" Jessie tells him.

"What? You want me to go into combat against Trevor with my nanny? Haven't you embarrassed me enough?" Luke asks her.

"I wasn't trying to embarrass you. I was trying to keep you from getting a boo-boo." Jessie tells him.

"Quit babying me. If I show up with you, I might as well just wear a diaper and a bib." Luke tells her and walks into the kitchen.

"But you could catch a cold, oh I see, I did it again." Jessie says, realizing her mistake as the boy walks away.

* * *

After leaving Jessie Luke went up to his room to think about who else he could ask to be his partner when Ryan knocks on his door asking, "Hey Luke got any trash that needs to be taken out?"

"What? Forget the trash, lets talk paintball." Luke tells Ryan, shoving the taller teen into his room.

"What's going on?" Ryan asks confused.

"I have a partner match in a few hours and I'm in need of a paintball partner." Luke tells him.

"And you want me to be your partner?" Ryan asks.

"Yeah. I mean you look like you'd do way better than Ravi, who knows maybe you even have a talent for it." Luke tells him, trying to convince Ryan to join him.

"Maybe, but why don't you ask Jessie? She should be great at paintball from everything I've heard about her." Ryan suggests.

"She is the reason I need to win this match in the first place. She just won't stop babying me." Luke replies.

"Well OK, if it means that much to you, then I guess you've got a partner." Ryan tells him, giving Luke a high five.

After agreeing to join Luke's team Ryan finishes his chores for the day and decides to talk to Jessie.

"Hey Jessie, you got a minute?" Ryan asks the girl, knocking on Zuri's open door, where Jessie, Bertram and Zuri are having a pretend tea party with some dolls.

"Sure." Jessie replies and gets up from her way to small chair, stepping outside with Ryan.

"What's up?" She asks him.

"I just wanted to check if everything is OK. Luke just asked me to be his paintball partner even though I know you'd love to team up with him." Ryan tells her.

"Yeah, it's nothing. It's my bad. I treated him like a little kid in front of his friend and now he's embarrassed." Jessie explains.

"OK, still if you want to you could take my place, I don't really care much about that paintball tournament and who knows maybe if you help him to victory he'll see you as the great nanny you are." Ryan offers to her.

"I don't know. I'll think about it." She replies.

"Alright, just don't think too long. Match starts in an hour." Ryan tells her and leaves to get into costume with Luke.

* * *

An hour later the game starts, and Ryan takes cover behind a big boulder with Luke, both of them dressed as Zombies.

Luke and Ryan stay hidden at the start of the match, only changing their cover to another rock. When they are about to take on a team Jessie, dressed as a Zombie jumps behind the rock as well.

"Jessie, what are you doing here? I already have a partner." Luke asks his nanny surprised.

"I kinda offered her my spot. Face it Luke, she'll probably do better than me plus I'm not the one who wants to prove to you that he can be cool." Ryan tells him, handing Jessie the paintball gun and lying down behind another rock, waiting for his new sibling and his secret crush to finish their match.

"Great, as if I haven't been humiliated enough, now even the new guy bails on me." Luke complains, only receiving a quiet "Hey! Meh, I don't care." from Ryan.

"I'm sorry I embarrassed you by being overprotective." Jessie apologizes, stands up still behind their cover and takes out an enemy team with one shot for each player.

"Luke, I'm here to make it up to you. Just give me a chance." Jessie tells him.

"I don't know Jessie." Luke says, walking over to the nearby bench, taking cover behind it while Jessie shoots two businessmen walking through the park.

"See, I took out those two ninjas and that team dressed as accountants." Jessie tells Luke.

"I think those really are accountants." Luke replies as the two businessmen leave annoyed.

Meanwhile across from them at the sandpit Trevor and his brother take out a team dressed as Football players and Trevor calls a time out to taunt Luke.

"Hey Puke, if you keep hugging that rock you're gonna have to marry it." Trevor says.

"Oh yeah? Nice dress knobby knees." Jessie tells him.

"It's a centurion battle skirt." Trevor replies angrily.

"And he taunts you?" Jessie asks Luke confused.

"Hey Luke, how many partners do you have?" Trevor asks Luke.

"Just one, my nanny." Luke replies.

"Technically I never took a shot so just pretend I'm an audience." Ryan cuts in, waving from behind his rock.

"Your Nanny? Is she gonna read you a bedtime story?" Trevor taunts Luke.

"Yeah, it's called Nanny makes Trevor go night night." Jessie replies before turning to Luke and discussing why their retorts don't really work.

"What are you talking about?" Trevor asks them annoyed, wanting to continue the match.

"We're done talking." Jessie tells him and the three go back to their former hiding spots.

After their talk with Trevor the match starts up again, with multiple teams approaching them and Luke and Jessie have already taken out three teams.

"This is awesome. I can smell victory." Luke tells her excited.

"Great, lock and load." Jessie tells him with a grin and points at another team up on the slide.

The two lose their cover and go towards the frog-dressed team, taking them out.

"Mummies 3 o'clock." Jessie says and they turn around, taking out the mummy team.

"To the mushrooms." Jessie tells Luke and they squat behind three mushroom statues.

"Hey Puke, looks like it's just you and us." Trevor tells him while his heavy build brother is aiming at them.

"Let's do this partner." Jessie tells Luke and shakes hands with him before she breaks out of her cover and runs towards Trevor and his brother, duck and rolling under the cocky brothers' shots and takes him out with three shots to the chest.

"Hey Trevor, prepare to get puked." Luke tells Trevor, rushing at him and shooting him in the chest while Trevor has a jammed gun.

"Ugh, epic fail." Trevor curses.

"That's right, you've been nannified." Luke tell them.

"Hey Red, how about you and I ditch the small ones and go…" Trevor's brother asks Jessie cockily before Ryan, who was already walking over to Jessie and Luke stops him, saying "beat it, before I beat you." Threateningly, making him and Trevor leave quickly.

"Thanks. Hanging out with grunchy mc douche isn't my idea of a good time." Jessie thanks Ryan.

"Any time and congrats. You won." Ryan tells them, giving Luke a high five.

"Jessie, Luke I'm so proud. While you were fighting for your lives, I ran to the teachers supply store to pick up these congratulatory stickers." Ravi tells them, handing the two a sticker each.

"Great job." He says reading the sticker as he hands it to Jessie.

"You are a star, and see it's shaped like a star." Ravi tells Luke.

"Thanks Ravi, but I think Ryan should have this." Jessie says, giving Ryan the sticker.

"What for?" Ryan asks genuinely surprised.

"For being a good brother and an even better friend." Jessie tells him, giving Ryan a quick hug.

"Uhh. Thanks." Ryan says, pocketing the sticker.

The four of them then head back to their loft and everyone goes to their room to take off their Zombie costumes.

"Hmm, I think I'll keep this. Today was a great day." Ryan says to himself and stores the sticker in a box he keeps on his only shelf, which contains his special items, like his last family photo where he still had a happy family.


	5. Christmas-time

|Ross apartment|

"OK, larger ornaments go on the bottom, smaller on the top and gold and silver tonsil must never cross!" Emma orders Luke, Ravi, Zuri, Jessie and Ryan who have all gathered in the living room.

"Emma is a little ocd. Obsessed with Christmas details." Luke informs the eldest two while the siblings split up to gather the decorations.

"I just want everything to be perfect for when mom and dad come home." Emma tells them.

"Jessie, Jessie help!" Luke shouts, standing under the kitchen doorframe.

"Hah, you are under the mistletoe." Luke says once Jessie is standing next to him.

"Hah, you're underage." Jessie replies and puts a stick-on bow on Luke's mouth.

The four siblings, other than Ryan then spend the morning decorating the Christmas tree together before the group goes to an ice rink.

* * *

"So, where should we…" Jessie starts to ask the children, but they've already left before she finishes putting on her shoes.

"Need some help with those?" Ryan asks her, having joined the group for the trip to the ice rink.

"Sure, thanks." Jessie says happily, putting on her other shoe while Ryan ties the one she's already in properly.

"Where did your siblings go? I only see Ravi stuffing his face at the food stand, which is a relief." Jessie asks aloud.

"They're all on the rink I think." Ryan replies, helping her with the second shoe after she squeezed her foot in it.

"OK, thanks. Let's go look for them. I am really glad you came by the way, I haven't really been ice skating before." Jessie tells him gratefully.

"Don't mention it, I'm not a pro exactly myself." He replies.

"So, where are they?" Jessie says, looking over the ice when the two reach it.

"they're pretty split up but it looks like Emma and Luke are pretty good and can be left alone." Ryan says.

"So we should go look for Zuri?" Jessie asks.

"Sounds like a plan. Come on." Ryan tells her, stepping on the ice and offering her his hand.

"Yeah." She agrees begrudgingly and follows him onto the ice, her feet slipping away to the side until Ryan lifts her up by her shoulders from behind and helps her stand on the ice.

"You weren't exaggerating about your lack of experience in this department." Ryan says amused, cracking his trademark half-smile.

"I told you so." Jessie exclaims.

"Yes, now, here take my hand and try to keep your legs straight, that's all you need to do for now." He tells her.

"OK. I think I can do that." She replies, taking his hand with him pulling her behind him slowly.

"Nice moves Jessie." Luke taunts her, speeding past the two.

"Listen here Luke …" Jessie says but loses her balance, falling down and pulling Ryan down with her.

"Oww? Maybe not let Luke in your head?" Ryan suggests.

"Yes, sounds like a plan." Jessie agrees, accepting Ryan's offered hand once he's standing again.

"Anyways, I think you can take your mind of babysitting for the next hours and try to enjoy this." Ryan tells her.

"How can I? The people are speeding around here like they're possessed." Jessie asks, looking around herself wearily.

"Come on relax. I got the kids handled, I'm keeping my eyes on them OK?" Ryan says, turning to face her and rubbing her arms supportively.

"Thanks." She replies with a smile on her face but then lets go of his hands to try and skate on her own, falling down with Zuri almost skating over her, having been behind Jessie for a few moments.

"Whoa, hold on." Ryan says lifting Zuri up before she runs over her sitter.

"Jessie, what are you doing lying on the ice? You're supposed to skate on it." Zuri asks her nanny.

"Go on and be careful alright? Stay on the children's lane, got it?" Ryan tells her, letting her down again.

"Alright." Zuri agrees grumpily.

"Here, let me help you up." Ryan tells Jessie and helps her to her feet, riding beside her for the rest of their visit and catching her to the best of his abilities whenever she fell.

* * *

|Ross apartment |

"That wasn't ice skating, that was just terrible." Jessie complains when the group arrive on their floor.

"It was awesome, that is if you didn't need 180cm of training wheels." Luke tells her with air quotes.

"Thanks again, You saved me a lot of bruises Ryan." Jessie thanks her blonde friend with a relieved sigh.

"It was my pleasure, I'm not really one to enjoy the holiday spirit anyways." Ryan replies.

"Why is that?" Ravi asks.

"That's a story for another time. I wonder if Bertram has already left?" Ryan says, dodging the subject, which Emma, Luke and Jessie notice but the Ross siblings don't think any of it.

"I'm off to cabo in vacation. Falalala- lalala. No more kids and aggravation, Hahahaha- hahahaha." Bertram arrives in the living room singing.

"I guess that answers your question." Emma says.

"Wow and here is Bertram with his bout of Butler ballade." Jessie says sarcastically, applauding.

"I won't miss you, or you and I'll miss you the least of all." Bertram says pointing at Jessie, Emma and lastly Luke.

"Adios suckers." Bertram tells the group, getting in the elevator and heading to the lobby.

"Hey Ravi, want to hear my wish-list for santa?" Zuri asks her brother.

"Who is this Santa you're talking about?" He asks.

"Oh, he's wonderful. He's old and chubby and he has a cool beard. He watches every child all the time. He knows when you've been sleeping, he knows when you're awake." Zuri explains.

"A fat man is constantly spying on us? Is it just me or is that really creepy?" Ravi asks her.

"No, it's great because if you've been good, he brings you toys." Zuri says.

"And what if you've been bad?" Ravi inquires.

"Don't be." Zuri says warningly, leaving a freaked-out Ravi while she goes to put away her shoes.

* * *

"OK kids, I got a lot of stuff to buy so let's get in and get out." Jessie tells Ravi and Zuri who wanted to come along for Jessie's shopping.

"But I want to see Santa!" Zuri says excited.

"He is here?" Ravi asks, hiding behind Jessie's purse.

"Ravi, why do you look so scared?" Jessie asks.

"Because Zuri told me about this fat judgmental gnome. A corpulent voyeur obsessed with children and their naughty-ness." Ravi says freaked out.

"Oh man up Mogli, oh look there is Santa." Zuri says excited and drags Ravi along with her to the Santa performer only to get stopped by an old small lady working as an elf.

"Hey, good boys and girls wait their turn. But if you want lap time now with the big guy you can slip me some dough." She tells the two children.

"Hey Jessie, Santa's bouncer is trying to hit us up for a bribe." Zuri complains.

"Little girl, that is a ho-ho-horrible accusation. Back of the line!" The woman orders.

"Don't talk to my kids that way." Jessie warns her.

"Please, let us not provoke this thievish henchman." Ravi says.

"get lost before I convince a certain someone to put these girls on the naughty list!" The woman yells.  
"Do not talk to my kids like that I'm watching you." Jessie warns the woman again.

"Don't worry Zuri, you and Ravi will get your turn on Santa's lap." Jessie tells her while Ravi gets called on Santa's lap, making him freak out and run away screaming "he beckons me like Yala the god of death who dwells in the fire of Naraka!"

Jessie and Zuri then go after him to calm him down.

* * *

|A couple hours later – Ross apartment|

Bertram come up in the elevator, still in his vacation clothes, consisting of sombrero, Hawaii shirt and shorts.

"What are you doing back? Shouldn't you be in the air already?" Ryan asks the butler, going over to him and helping him with his luggage.

"I hate snow, just cause one little jumbo jet slid off the runway into the parking zone the flights are cancelled." Bertram says downcast that he can't go to Cabo.

"Hey good thing is, you can just do nothing around here for a while. I'm still tasked with keeping the house clean." Ryan tells him while he follows the man with one of his suitcases.

After they round the corner a video chat request blinks on the laptop sitting on the tv table.

"Emma, come." Jessie shouts to the only missing kid, other than Ryan.

"Hey guys. Merry almost Christmas." Christina tells her children with the group of 5 including Jessie have gathered at the couch.

"Listen guys all the planes coming out of Chicago have been grounded so mom and dad are going to hop on a train." Morgan tells them.

"With 10.000 other people who are also stuck at the airport. So we're going to make lots of new friends." Christina adds with a strained smile.

"Is this mommy upset?" Ravi asks Emma.

"It's hard to tell after she got the Botox." Emma replies.

"Hey kids, why don't you go get great grandma's porcelain angel for the top of the tree?" Christina tells them, making the group run off in a hurry.

"Jessie, come closer." Morgan tells her and Jessie slides closer.

"Oh, hey not that close." Christina says when Jessie's nose is almost touching the camera.

"I texted you a list with some more presents you need to get." Christina tells her.

"Oh, yes I see. Uh maybe it'd have been faster to send me a list of things you don't need." Jessie tells her, looking at the list.

"You mean like a negative nanny with humongous pores?" Christina asks.

"Hey, by the way how is Ryan? I didn't see him just now." Morgan asks.

"Oh, he's OK I think, he's busying himself with cleaning. I think he doesn't have a very great impression on Christmas." Jessie tells them.

"Well and for your presents, I will be there when the stores open. Me and my cavernous pores." Jessie tells them.

"Uhm, gotta go." Jessie tells them, closing the computer when Emma and Zuri start to fight over the angel on top of the stairs.

"Hey! Step away from the railing, if I have said it once I have said it a thousand times. No fighting over priceless extremely fragile family heirlooms at the top of the stairs, next to a steep drop." Jessie tells them, taking the angel while Emma and Zuri go down the stairs disappointed.

"What's wrong? I heard shouting." Ryan asks, coming into the living room.

"Nothing, just a little discussion over who puts the angel on top." Jessie informs him while she's putting the ceramic decoration on the tip of the tree.

"Ravi. Mr. Kipling is eating his presents before Christmas." Luke tells his younger brother while his lizard crawls under the tree to get to a present from Zuri, which is a bag of bugs.

"Mr. Kipling, shame on you." Ravi says and both he and Luke pull on the lizard, who managed to wrap himself up in the Christmas lights, which pull on the tree, making it fall in the kids direction.

"Stay back." Jessie warns them when the tree starts to tilt in their direction.

Ryan quickly runs over and pushes against the tree, holding it in place at least but not quite succeeding in putting it back in place.

"hold on!" Jessie says and makes a lasso with some tonsil and throws it around the tip, pulling it back in place together with Ryan.

"Man, that was way to close, impressive lasso skills Jessie." Ryan compliments her while she makes her way down to check on the group.

"Thanks, I've actually won a competition for cow catching back home." She tells him.

"Cool." He says, taking off his jacket and rolling it up.

"I think the people of New York will get a little fir rain." Ryan tells them while he goes on the balcony and cleans his jacket over their railing.

"Ravi, Luke you have to be careful. If that tree fell on you, you could've gotten hurt." Jessie tells them.

"Sorry Jessie." Ravi apologizes.

"Just promise to be more careful." Jessie tells them, giving the kids a hug.

"And tomorrow you'll have to be alone for a while so Emma please watch your siblings and make sure they stay in the apartment." Jessie instructs her.

"OK." Emma agrees with the group going back to doing their own stuff.

"So, what did Christina and Morgan want?" Ryan asks, going back in the living room while putting his jacket back on.

"Oh, they wanted me to do some Christmas present shopping." Jessie tells him.

"Need some help? Or do you want me to watch the fam?" Ryan offers.

"Sure, that'd be great and Emma is instructed to keep them from leaving the apartment." Jessie accepts happily.

"Great, well I'll have to clean again." Ryan says upon seeing the floor dirties with fir pins.

* * *

The next day Ryan and Jessie go shopping early in the morning.

"Thanks again for helping with this. Carrying this alone would've been challenging." Jessie thanks Ryan, waiting in line to pay.

"Hi, how are you today? I'm sorry for asking." Jessie asks cheerfully, putting the toys on the counter and getting Christina's card until she sees the man's sour expression.

"Christina Ross? The super model?" The cashier asks, inspecting the card.

"No offense but you're no Christina Ross." The cashier says.

"Hey, don't insult my friend, and she's the nanny working for the Ross's but if you don't want to accept the card, here take mine." Ryan says, handing the cashier his card.

"Hmpf." The cashier grunts annoyed but takes the card and bills the purchases on it.

"Thanks, but you didn't have to do that." Jessie thanks him when they are heading back to the apartment.

"Don't worry, the parents can just reimburse me for the presents, not that that's necessary." Ryan tells her with a shrug.

"Wow, listen to rich boy here." Jessie says laughing.

"Yeah, I already told you I'm not exactly comfortable with what they are paying me. I mean a 20th of it would probably be an acceptable salary." Ryan tells her.

"Just be glad. They've got enough money anyways." Jessie tells him, bumping his shoulder while the two walk side by side, carrying bags with presents.

"Yeah, still. I mean I grew up pretty broke and with a family full of drunks and criminals. It's hard to just get used to this." Ryan tells her, sighing.

"It's hard huh?" Jessie asks him empathically.

"Yeah kind of and that I'm already 17 doesn't help with me already feeling like a charity case." Ryan fills her in.

"I'm sorry that I can't exactly help you with that when you've already helped me out so often." Jessie tells him apologetically.

"Don't sweat it. You being there to listen every now and then is help enough." He says, giving her his half-smile.

"Say, why don't you like Christmas?" She asks him after a moment of them walking in silence.

"It's not that I don't like it, I just never really had a traditional Christmas, for me it was just a usual shitty day. That's why I'm keeping my distance a bit, so I won't rain on the parade." Ryan tells her with a shrug.

"Well on the bright side, now you can have your first real Christmas." Jessie tells him with a smile.

"I guess you've got a point there." Ryan agrees, nodding to himself.

* * *

|that evening – Ross apartment|

"Mommy and daddy should be home by now." Zuri says disappointed.

"Perhaps, but maybe the evil Santa has kidnapped them and put them to work in his north-pole sweatshop." Ravi tells her, fearing the worst.

"OK, I'll say it once more. Slowly and calmly. Santa is a good guy!" Zuri tells Ravi, shaking him annoyed to prove her point.

The group of four children minus Ryan then assemble on the couch when the parents call them again.

"Hi guys." Morgan says, stopping Jessie and Bertram from fighting, because Bertram had to deal with Zuri and Ravi getting a sugar high while She and Ryan were shopping.

"Where are you?" Luke asks the parents after everyone greeted them.

"We're on the train but the blizzard has shut it down." Christina explains.

"Oh, I've got a great idea for a movie. Two parents try and get home to their kids for Christmas but they are trapped in a blizzard on a train." Morgan says.

"How do you do it." Christina says sarcastically.

"So, you are not coming home for Christmas?" Zuri asks downcast.

"Of course sweety, when you wake up Christmas morning we will be there." Morgan assures her.

"And in the meantime Jessie and Bertram are going to make this the best Christmas ever, right guys?" Christina says.

"Right, like ever." Jessie and Bertram agree nervously.

"Kids, gather by the fire and Daddy and I will read you the night before Christmas." Christina tells them.

* * *

A few hours later Jessie, Bertram and Ryan are in the kitchen, wrapping the newly bought presents.

"Come on Bertram, we'll have to take those pictures now." Jessie tells the Butler which she made dress as Santa and goes to the living room with him while Ryan continues to wrap the presents.

"Oh, why do I have to do this?" Bertram asks sorrowful.

"So Ravi sees that Santa is a good guy and not a creepy stalker. Now come on and show me the jolly!" Jessie answers.

"I'm trying but this beard is itchy and these pants smell like reindeer pee." Bertram complains.

Jessie tries to get a good shot of him and leans to her side, not realizing that her hair is getting caught in the tree.

"Ow, ow. My hair." She says and Bertram comes over to help her.

"Ow, it hurts. Stop." Jessie says when Bertram tries to pull her free.

Ryan enters the living room upon hearing the commotion and Ravi also arrives.

"Let her go you bearded brute!" Ravi shouts and jumps on Bertram, hitting him once the man fell over.

"Ravi, stop it." Ryan says, lifting his new brother off of Bertram who crawls into the elevator and escapes.

"Ravi, thank you so much but Santa wasn't hurting me." Jessie tells him, once he stops struggling in Ryan's hold and he lets the young boy down.

"An innocent man does not run!" Ravi exclaims.

"What is all the racket?" Luke asks, arriving with Zuri and Emma.

"Are mom and dad here?" Emma questions excited.

"No guys, you know they wish they could be here but they can't change the weather." Jessie tells them.

"All we wanted was to have mommy and daddy home." Zuri cries, hugging Jessie's waist.

"Well I wouldn't say all, since mortal terror 5 just came out but it was still really important." Luke says, starting to cry and the four children hug each other while crying.

"Guys, please don't cry, we can still have a fun Christmas. Look Zuri, a ham!" Jessie says, presenting a gift she got out of the Ross's reusable gifts closet.

"Can I put sprinkles on it?" She asks.

"Of course I can do anything you want." Jessie replies.

"Can you make mommy and daddy appear?" She asks.

"Trust me guys, if I could they'd walk out of that elevator right now." Jessie says, walking up and down, with her back facing the elevator.

"Uhm, Jessie." Ryan says motioning for her to turn around.

"Merry Christmas!" The Ross parents yell, rushing into the room with some bags and hug their four youngest children.

"Thank you Jessie. Now turn Luke into a pony." Zuri says, assuming that Jessie made her parents appear.

"I thought the trains were stopped how did you make it home?" Jessie asks the parents relieved and surprised.

"Mommy and Daddy met Santa and he gave us a ride home in his slay." Morgan tells them.

"He did?" Zuri asks happily.

"Absolutely. He was so nice." Christina says while the group move over to the couch, sitting down with their parents, leaving Ryan and Jessie standing behind the couch.

"Now I feel terrible, I just beat the curry out of him." Ravi says.

A couple of hours later the living room looks like a battlefield with Christmas wrappings everywhere and the kids all examining their presents while Morgan films them.

"So, what did they get you?" Jessie asks Ryan who is cleaning up the kitchen after the family plus Jessie had a midnight snack while opening the presents with Bertram sulking in his room.

"A coupon for furniture, which by the way you're welcome to take advantage of as well. And they managed to get me an internship with a local architect." Ryan informs her.

"Wow, architect, I didn't know you had such high goals." Jessie says.

"Yeah, it's still a far away goal, my grades are pretty good, but my reputation isn't the best, you know rap sheet and all. How about you, did you get anything?" Ryan tells her.

"Yeah, I got a ticket to a beauty palor, because of my manhole-covers for pores." Jessie says with a defeated sigh.

"Come on Jessie, I'm by no means a professional like Christina but I think you're gorgeous." Ryan tells her while avoiding eye contact due to embarrassment.

"Thanks." Jessie replies, her cheeks reddening slightly.

"Want me to give you a hand?" Jessie offers.

"No I think I'll call it quits now anyways, I'll finish the rest tomorrow." Ryan says.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Wait here a sec." He tells her and leaves to get to his room and fetch his present for her. A minute later he reemerges in the kitchen, carrying a wrapped-up box.

"Merry Christmas." He says, handing her the gift.

"Thanks, I'm just sorry I didn't get you or the others anything." Jessie says guiltily.

"Don't worry about it. It's a first for me too, to give someone a Christmas present." He tells her chuckling lightly.

Jessie unwraps the present and opens the box, seeing an expensive dress she's been saving for.

"Wow, wait this is too much. I can't accept this." Jessie says stunned for a second and tries to get him to take it back.

"You can and you will. I already told you that I get paid way to much, think of this as compensation for having to listen to my sob stories every now and then." He tells her.

"Thanks, I don't know what to say. Wait here." Jessie says, hugging him and then disappears from the kitchen, coming back a few seconds later, carrying something behind her back.

"Here, at least let me do this." Jessie says, holding the plastic mistletoe they had hanging in the kitchen door frame over his head and gives him a kiss on his cheek before handing him the mistletoe and leaves the kitchen with her present under her arm while Ryan has a small smile on his face.

After this exchange Ryan went to his room and puts the mistletoe in his box with important things to him and rejoins the rest of the family, chatting with them for a bit until an hour later the parents want to take a Christmas picture before sending the children back to bed.

* * *

"Wait a minute, where is Jessie?" Ravi asks when everyone but Jessie, including the as Santa dressed Bertram is standing in front of the camera.

"I got her." Ryan says, rolling his shoulders as he goes over to the couch and pulls the present paper covering Jessie's face away and picks her up while she's still sleeping, wrapped in a blanket.

"Wow, I have a strong brother." Ravi says impressed when Ryan walks over to the group posing in front of the Christmas tree and joins them with Christina starting a countdown until the picture gets taken.

"Everybody say Jessie on one." Christina tells them.

"four, three, two… Jessie!" She counts down, shouting Jessie when the picture gets taken, waking her up after the snap.

"Huh?" She says confused, looking up to see Ryan carrying her.

"I thought we didn't have to wake her." Ryan says, looking at the family surprised.

"Well now that she's awake, we can do a proper one." Christina says, exchanging a knowing look with her husband who told her about Ryan having a crush on the nanny.

Ryan let's Jessie down and the group poses for another picture.

Once the Ross's printed out a few copies Ryan takes one where Jessie's still asleep and puts it in his box as well, taping the mistletoe to it.


	6. New Years and paparazzi

|A week later - Ross apartment|

"So guys, what is everyone's ambition for the next year?" Christina asks the family, including Jessie and Bertram while everyone is having a dinner together.

"I'm going to teach Millie the mermaid who to swim." Zuri says.

"I will train Mr. Kipling so he behaves when we go to the park." Ravi says with everyone going around in the order they sit in.

"I'm hoping for an Oscar, again." Morgan says.

"I want to date a hot girl." Luke says, giving Jessie a look while raising his eyebrows.

"I want to become famous with a fashion blog." Emma says excitedly.

"I just want to stay as good a butler as I am now." Bertram says, making the kids giggle.

"I hope to finish school with a good enough average so I can try to get a job in construction or get into college." Ryan says.

"I will be discovered this year and finally become a real actress." Jessie tells them ambitiously.

"Well and I just want our family to stay together." Christina says.

"Alright kids, if you want to watch the fireworks tonight you should take a nap or you'll be too tired to stay awake." Jessie tells the children while Ryan and Bertram start to clear the table.

"Say Ryan, how've you been faring so far? You're starting school soon." Morgan asks him.

"Good. No complains here. I get along great with everyone, I haven't spend much time with my new sisters though." Ryan informs them.

"Maybe that's something you could also work on." Morgan suggests.

"Sure, I just don't know how to act with them. I had a brother but never a sister." Ryan says.

"You'll figure it out. You're a smart kid." Christina tells him.

"Thanks, for everything really. If it weren't for you guys I'd have probably just ended up in an abusive foster home instead of an abusive home." Ryan tells them thankful for them taking him in, unknown to them Jessie came back to get Zuri's bear and overhears him.

"I'm sorry that happened to you son but you're save with us." Morgan says, acting like a grown-up for the first time since Ryan met him.

"Thanks." Ryan says giving them a lazy smile and continues to help Bertram in the kitchen.

"Zuri forgot her bear." Jessie says, fetching the teddy and leaves, glancing at Ryan as she leaves, not having known that it was that bad with his biological parents.

* * *

Half an hour later Ryan has finished in the kitchen and Jessie got everyone to sleep or at least to stay in their room and pretend in Luke's case.

"Hey. You got a moment?" Jessie asks, knocking on Ryan's door.

"Sure, come in." Ryan says, putting a mark in his book and setting it down on his bedside table while sitting propped up on his bed.

"I have a confession to make… I overheard you in the kitchen with Christina and Morgan." Jessie says, feeling a bit guilty.

"I know." Ryan simply tells her.

"What, how?" Jessie says surprised.

"You might be a good actress but you care too much, it was written all over your face when you came in." Ryan says.

"So you're not mad?" She asks.

"No, it's not a secret that I had abusive parents and my mom's boyfriends also kicked the crap out of me. I'd just prefer it stays between the grown-ups." Ryan tells her, looking at her.

"Yeah, I promise. Well good, I just wanted to clear the air." Jessie tells him.

"Clear the air huh? I guess I have something to share too." Ryan says, getting her attention.

"Come in and close the door." Ryan tells her, scooting over to the edge of his bed so he sits across from Jessie who took a seat on a chair in his room.

"Well, the truth is that… I have a crush on you and would like to ask you out." Ryan says shyly.

"Ryan…" Jessie says.

"Look, I know you're not a fan of starting something at the workplace, but you know by now that your nanny job takes up most of your time and I thought I'd try my luck now that we both have gotten used to living here to some degree." Ryan tells her.

"Ryan I don't think this is a good idea. Don't get me wrong if we were at other stages of our lives I'd probably jump at the chance to date you. I mean you're handsome, smart and have helped me more often than I'd like to admit. But I also really care about your siblings and if this wouldn't work out I'd probably have to leave." Jessie says giving him a sad smile.

"Yeah I get it, that's exactly why I didn't ask you out before. I just though I'd try my luck before I slide into the famous 'I see you as a brother' bracket." Ryan tells her, air quoting it.

"Look, just forget about this. No hard feelings, right?" Ryan tells her.

"Yeah. Thanks for understanding, you don't know how much of a relief it is." Jessie says, giving him a hug before she leaves his room with a small wave, saying "See you later?"

"Yeah, later." Ryan replies, closing the door behind her.

After leaving Ryan's room Jessie goes over to her room, right beside his and jumps onto her bed, sighing in her pillow.

"This was exactly what I was hoping to avoid. I have fantasized about going out with him myself but to have it laying out there, phew." Jessie says to herself.

* * *

|10 minutes to midnight|

"I'll go get the kids." Jessie tells her employers, who are already sitting on their balcony watching the fireworks while drinking champaign.

Jessie starts to go from room to room, waking the kids and ushering them to go to the balcony.

When she gets to the last room, which is Ryan's she knocks lightly, getting no reply and peeks inside, seeing him lying on his bed asleep and she steps inside uncertainly after what happened only a couple hours ago.

"Ryan. Wake up." She says, walking over to the foot of his bed.

"Hmm?" Ryan grumbles, still half asleep.

"Wake up. Your parents are waiting." She tells him.

"Alright." He says, rolling out of bed.

"This is new, I didn't see it when we were furniture shopping." Jessie says, seeing Ryan's box sitting atop his table and goes over to inspect it.

"Please don't look inside, that's private stuff and I had it from before actually." Ryan tells her, standing up, taking the box and putting the box back ontop of a shelf.

"Sorry." Jessie says awkwardly and starts to leave.

"Jessie wait. Sorry about that, I didn't mean to be harsh and I don't want things to be as they are now." He tells her, going through his hair with one hand.

"What do you mean?" She asks fearfully.

"Things are strained between us after what happened earlier. We both know it, but I don't want to ignore it until this becomes the new standard. I want us to go back to how we were before, so no need to be timid around me. You didn't have to before and that shouldn't change." Ryan tells her.

"Yeah, you're right. So, come on let's go watch those fireworks." She tells him, getting hyped up again, like her usual self and drags him along behind her.

* * *

|Around a month later|

"I just saw the weirdest thing, Bertram doing his job." Jessie tells Luke, who is walking down the stairs.

"Dad must be home!" Luke says excited and run onto the balcony.

"Dad!" He says excited when he sees his father, having breakfast with his siblings.

"Hey bud. And Jessie, you're all here. I missed you all so much, I thought my heart was gonna… gonna… burst!" Morgan says, pretending a rubber heart is flying out of his chest, scaring Ravi and Zuri while disgusting Jessie.

"Mr. Daddy has a million of these shenanignas. Word to the wise, if he asks you to pull his finger just say no." Ravi tells Jessie.

"I actually do have something to tell you guys." Morgan says, buttoning his shirt again.

"You've seen Vampires in the mist right?" He asks the group.

"Only a gazillion times, Jordan Taylor is my screen saver, my wallpaper and my password." Emma says.

"Well, try to stay calm. He might be in my next movie." Morgan tells them.

"OMG, Jordan Taylor. I've gotta go text." Emma says freaking out and jumps up from her chair, bolting to the living room and crashing against the see through door.

"That calmed her right down." Luke says amused while Ryan helps the girl up.

"I'll take care of this sir." Bertram says, cleaning the part of the door she slammed her head against.

"Jordan Taylor huh? Maybe Emma could meet him, I could go with her, of course just to make sure she doesn't go all crazy." Jessie suggests while Morgan helps his daughter back in her chair.

"We're all going to meet him, he's going to be staying here this weekend." Morgan tells them.

"Jordan, here with us? Room getting, darker." Jessie says and faints, getting caught by Ryan before she hits the floor.

"This is why I'm not looking forward to puberty." Zuri says, looking at Jessie while Ryan tries to shake her awake.

* * *

"OK, listen guys, this is really important, if Jordan decides to be in my next movie this could be my first real shot at an Oscar." Morgan tells everyone with them sitting on the couch after finishing their breakfast and waking Jessie.

"And high time too sir, you should've won one years ago." Bertram says, appearing from the kitchen.

"Man, that man can suck up like Michigan." Zuri says.

"Jordan has insisted on staying with us for the weekend because he wants to get to know me. He wants to make sure he can trust me." Morgan tells them.

"Oh, I'm all about trusting. Jordan and I have so much in common." Jessie says, stealing Emma's magazine where Jordan is on the cover and hugs it to herself with Ryan rolling his eyes at the scene, unseen by her.

"But it has to be a complete secret that he is here OK? Jordan is obsessed with his privacy." Morgan continues.

"He likes privacy, I like privacy. It's like we're the same person." Emma says, stealing her magazine back.

"Now, while he's here I need everyone to act natural. And to make sure that happens, here are some notes on how to act." Morgan tells them, giving everyone other than Ryan a card.

"I'm supposed to get along with Emma? I'm not that good an actor." Luke says, reading the card.

"And Ryan, you just refrain from talking about your old family. Also is it OK for you to give up your room for the next days?" Morgan tells him, getting a thumbs up in response.

"Thanks. Cause you know, I don't want to put him in an empty room and well Zuri needs her space, Emma's shrine would freak him out. Luke, let's face it your room is disgusting and I don't think he signed up for having a lizard as a roommate." Morgan says.

"Don't worry, I just need a pillow and a couple of books and I'm good." Ryan says.

"Thanks." Morgan says relieved Ryan is OK with it.

"Hey, Rosses, there is someone here to see you, says his name is Rufus T. Firefly." Tony tells them over the speaker.

"Rufus is Jordan's codename." Morgan tells them and calls the elevator.

"I'll go bring him up!" Jessie and Emma shout in unison and race towards the elevator, only for jessie to get pushed into the wall next to it by Emma.

"I'll take the service stairs." Jessie says, running off.

While the kids are waiting, Ryan throws a couple clothes a pillow and two books in a bag and Zuri is planning with Luke on how they can prove that they hang out with Jordan and decide to look through his luggage.

"I just polished my audience choice award." Morgan says, walking back into the living room with his award and puts it on the piano.

"Stand around the award." Morgan tells his three youngest, while Ryan puts his bag next to the balcony door.

"Look natural." Morgan says when the elevator pings, meaning Jordan has arrived.

"Jordan welcome." Morgan greets him, extending his hand towards him.

"Morgan." He replies and tries to reach for the hand but Emma hangs on his arm in a deathgrip, with Jessie hanging on the other arm.

"Girls please, give him some space." Morgan tells them and they let go of their celebrity crush, after which Morgan hugs the disguised actor.

"Hmm, he is not as handsome as I thought he'd be. He looks like the goat Mr. Kipling ate once." Ravi says.

"I'm sorry for the silly disguise." Jordan says, taking off his disguise.

"Fame can be a cage." He says dramatically, making both Jessie and Emma swoon.

"Still not understanding all the hoopla." Ravi says.

"Hi Jordan, I'm 12 year old Luke, a loveable stampcollector. I love homework and behaving myself?" Luke says, reading the last part from his card.

"I'll go get your suitcase." Luke tells him.

"Thanks but it's heavy." Jordan warns him while he and Zuri go over to his suitcase.

"We'll lighten it up for you. Uh, I mean we'll take it to your room." Zuri says.

"Alright, that were Luke and Zuri. This here is Ravi. You've already met Emma and our nanny Jessie. And this is Ryan." Morgan introduces everyone to the actor.

"So now that introductions are out of the way, how about some cake?" Morgan suggests.

"I'm sorry, I have to look into something." Ravi says, going to his room.

* * *

"Guys, all this fuss about me is not necessary. I'm just like any other sensitive 19-year old who makes 20million dollars a film and kicks it with Cobe." He tells the remaining four and Bertram, who gives everyone a piece of cake with Jordan's face on it.

"You know who else is sensitive, trustworthy and a great employer? Morgan." Bertram says, giving the actor a piece of cake.

"Ah, Bertram stop." Morgan says before mouthing, 'don't stop'.

"And he has great taste in nannies." Jordan says, making Jessie giggle and touch his arm flirtingly.

She then squeezes his upper arm and tells Emma "It's like half a grapefruit." While Jordan flexes his arm.

Ryan gets up saying "I'm gonna go layout my bed." He says, taking his cake with him.

"What does he mean?" Jordan asks the group.

"Oh, you'll be staying in Ryan's room which is right beside mine." Jessie says, inching closer to his side.

"Jordan I am so sorry but I really have to take this." Morgan says when his phone rings.

"Oh hey, you're watching my movie huh? Tilted world of terror." Jordan asks Ravi, who walks into the kitchen with his tablet playing scenes from Jordan's movie.

"Yes, I've been told you're an actor of certain intensity, yet all you do in this film is shout 'Hey punk, look out and stop.'" Ravi says.

"Yeah, you see I try to give stop a lot of layers, like commanding: Stop, compassionate: Stop, desperate: Stop." Jordan tells him, saying Stop exactly the same everytime but gets Jessie and Emma to swoon.

"Jordan I really don't want to leave but the money guys just called an emergency meeting downtown." Morgan apologizes to the actor.

"Better you than me. I'm not in it for the money. I just want to be an artist." Jordan tells him.

"No, the artists want to be you." Morgan tells him.

"Listen, I'll be right back. Make sure they behave. My entire career is riding on this and so is yours." Morgan tells Jessie, pulling her aside.

* * *

|Later that day – Jessie's room|

"Alright Jessie, stop trying to steal Jordan from me. You're ruining my happiness." Emma tells her.

"You're thirteen. Your happiness should come from cherry flavored lip-gloss and unicorn stickers." Jessie tells her.

"I love Jordan more than you do, have you been in my room? I don't see Jordan poster pullup pages on your walls." Emma tells her.

"That is because I keep my Jordan shrine in the closet, like a mature person." Jessie tells her, opening her closet door, which is plastered with Jordan picktures on the inside.

"He might fall in love with me if you could just back off." Emma tells her.

"Emma I could go all the way back to New Jersey, that will not change the fact that you're too young for him." Jessie says.

"You want to fight me for him granny? Let's go. May the best woman win." Emma tells her challengingly.

"Suits me, cause I'm the only woman in the room." Jessie replies.

Emma pushes Jessie in her closet and locks the door from outside. Once she does that Emma leaves and locks Jessie's bedroom door as well, tying her own doorknobs to Jessie so she can't escape, while Jessie is counting in the closet as warning. Once she gets to a hundred Jessie kicks down her door.

"I should have done that a hundred ago." Jessie says and steps out of her closet, goes to her door and tries to open it. When it doesn't budge she looks through the keyhole and sees Emma's contraption.

"Well played Emma." Jessie says. She then spots a window washer, right outside her window and bribes the man to take her to another window but the one she tries is also locked. At Luke's room, which is next to the window she stepped onto the ledge at, she hears the TV running and knocks on the window loudly.

"What was that?" Ryan asks, going to the window, pulling the curtains aside only to see Jessie standing there in a red dress with wet hair, from the water bucket of the window washer she spilled over herself.

"Jessie?" Ryan says shocked and opens the window for her.

"Help me in." Jessie tells him, standing on the ledge.

"Seriously? You know I have acrophobia." Ryan tells her, gluping audiably.

"Alright, here goes nothing." Ryan says, putting one foot out of the window with his other on the ledge in the room.

He grabs Jessie's arm and helps her into the room.

"Sorry about that." Ryan tells her, pointing at her arm once she's inside, where a red handprint can be seen.

"Thanks. Emma locked me inside my closet and my room. I gotta go!" Jessie tells him and rushes outside. Leaving Ryan wondering what just happened.

Meanwhile Emma tries to get Jordan to go out with her but he shoots her down due to their age difference.

* * *

Jessie arrives in the living room and sees a dressed up Emma sulking on the couch.

"Sweety are you OK?" Jessie asks her calmly.

"I guess so." Emma replies.

"Are you crazy?! What kind of person locks another person in a closet and then lets them climb through windows while they are 30 floors up." Jessie shouts.

"Sorry." Emma says.

"Inadequate apology accepted. Now that we got that out of the way, don't be sad. You're an incredible person and you'll be breaking hearts left and right before you know it. I guess we've both been silly today huh? Like Jordan would look at either one of us." Jessie tells her.

"True, I mean I'm just a kid and you're just … you." Emma agrees.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, where Jordan fled.

"Hey Jordan, we found your cellphone." Luke says, handing Jordan the phone which they used to make prank calls all afternoon.

"Thanks, I was looking for it. Where did you find it?" Jordan asks.

"In the bathroom." Luke says and hurries away with Zuri.

"Jordan, I'm sorry if Emma was bothering you." Jessie apologizes for Emma.

"No problem, though I wouldn't mind if you bothered me. Would you like to go out to dinner tonight?" Jordan asks her, making Jessie freeze up.

"How about you just hold that thought for a second." Jessie says and hurries back on the couch to Emma.

"Hey Emma, you remember that time when we were saying like Jordan would never want to go out with us? Well he just asked me out to dinner, are you cool with that? Thanks." Jessie says.

"What?" Emma asks shocked.

"Sorry, he asked me. Look if it really bothers you, I won't go out with him." Jessie tells her.

"It really bothers me." Emma says.

"Too bad. It's Jordan Taylor, what would you do?" Jessie replies.

"I guess, I'd go out with him." Emma says defeated.

"Thanks, that's really nice of you." Jessie thanks her and goes back in the kitchen to accept Jordan's invitation while Emma writes Leopard Bee with the location of Jordan Taylor.

Jessie then goes to a salon to get her hair and nails fixed.

* * *

"Wow, you look beautiful, you going to a funeral or something?" Tony asks Jessie when she returns in the late afternoon.

"I had an emergency salon session, I have a date with … Rufus T. Firefly." Jessie tells him.

„That bumm? I stepped in things that looked better than him." Tony says when suddenly a horde of fans comes screaming.

Jessie hurries upstairs, fleeing from the fans.

"What's wrong Jessie? Is the lobby overcrowded with Jordan Taylor fans?" Emma asks her challengingly.

"You told people Jordan's here? You risked destroying your father's career just to ruin my date?" Jessie asks her disappointed.

"Well gee, when you put it that way it sounds awful." Emma says.

"The paparazzi are coming, the paparazzi are coming, tell my ma I love…" Tony is heard over the speaker.

* * *

A few moments later the elevator is filled with girls who are trying to push their way into the Ross's apartment only being held back by Ryan, who holds the doors closed with Emma standing next to him.

"You are not leaving, you're going down with the rest of the family." Emma tells Luke and Zuri who brought Jordan's suitcase.

"We're here to help, if they want a piece of Jordan Taylor, they can have his clothes." Zuri says and she throws Jordan's clothes at the women in the elevator, once Ryan lets it open but stands at the ready. A woman goes outside and pulls the whole suitcase in the elevator.

Emma pushes the lobby button in the elevator and Ryan stops the few fans that still want to get in the apartment.

"Man what a great weekend." Ryan says sarcastically once the elevator doors are closed and he sits down, his back against them.

"Isn't this nicer than a restaurant, it's nice and more private." Jessie tells Jordan while they are standing on the balcony.

There peaceful moment however gets interrupted when a helicopter arrives, shining lights on the two with a photographer coming down in a harness to shoot pictures.

* * *

Meanwhile back inside Morgan arrives by elevator, pushing himself through the mass of fangirls, getting helped out by Ryan who pulls him out of the girls' grasps and pushes the elevator doors shut.

Morgan then gets hit by an orange, curtesy of Zuri.

"Oww." Morgan say, holding his side where Zuri hit him.

"Sorry dad, She thought you were a crazed fan." Emma explains.

"No I didn't I just like throwing stuff." Zuri cuts in.

"What is going on? First I have to fight my way through photographers and now these crazed fangirls. And they took my watch." Morgan asks.

"Someone in your family ratted me out to the press. You all betrayed me." Jordan accuses the group which is standing around Morgan, except for Ryan who's still struggling to keep the fangirls outside.

"Jordan, let's not overreact here." Morgan tells him.

"Yeah, it's not that bad." Jessie says when suddenly two fangirls come down the roof in ropes made out of tied together clothes.

"Oh fuck this." Ryan curses, and steps onto the balcony, ripping on the two ropes, causing them to fall down and he grabs the two girls, leading them towards the elevator and pushing them in with the rest of the crowd.

"And this bothers you?" Luke asks, pointing at the crazed fangirls in the elevator, only getting held back by the wifebeater wearing Ryan.

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you." Jordan tells Morgan.

"Jordan, let me explain…" Morgan says.

"Save it, I'm out of here, I'm going to pack my stuff." He tells him and goes to Ryan's room to pack his things, which have all disappeared thanks to Zuri and Luke, though Jordan looks through a few things, including Ryan's personal box which he leaves emptied out before going to confront the family again.

"Alright, who told about Jordan staying here?" Morgan asks his children plus Jessie angrily.

"Not me." Ryan grunts from the elevator doors.

"I did it." Jessie says, putting down Emma's hand while she was raising it.

"I was so excited about the date that I texted Darla back home. She must've put it on the internet, which apparently spreads private information." Jessie confesses, looking at Emma at the last part.

"Jessie, I told everybody to keep it a secret." Morgan says disappointed.

"I'm really really sorry." Jessie says.

"No, I'm sorry. I tipped off leopard bee to ruin Jessie's date with Jordan. Jessie was lying to protect me." Emma says, while Jordan is watching them unnoticed.

"Actually, I wasn't lying, I really did text Darla, that blabbermouth.

"And I may have posted something about hanging out with my best bud Jordan." Luke confesses.

"I Millie the mermaid and she can't keep her mouth shut." Zuri says.

"I may have told a few people at the park and the entire Indian subcontinent." Ravi confesses guiltily.

"Well I am a little disappointed in all of you, but not that disappointed because I told all the guys at my gym, so…" Morgan confesses and they come together in a group hug.

"Uhh, It's so beautiful how you all came clean to protect each other. You know I really can't blame you. I'd tell if I was staying with me too." Jordan tells the group, coming out of his spot and hugs them as well.

"So does that mean you'll be in Morgan's movie?" Jessie asks hopeful.

"Absulutely, I'm just loving all this love." Jordan tells them.

"Congratulations sir, celebratory hot chocolate all around." Bertram tells them, handing out the drinks.

"Bertram, you work too hard. Take the week off." Morgan tells him.

"If you insist." Bertram says, running of, handing Morgan his tray.

"Guys, I don't want to ruin the moment, but does anyone have a solution for our damn fangirl problem?" Ryan shouts from the living room.

"Oh." Morgan says, having forgotten that Ryan is still holding them back.

"Uhh, there is a lock somewhere ontop of the elevator door which shuts it off." Morgan says, hurrying into the living room and up the stairs, where he inserts a key and turns it.

Ryan steps away from the door and it doesn't budge anymore.

"And you couldn't have done that like 10 minutes ago?" Ryan asks, going over to the couch and falling down on it face first, physically exhausted.

"Sorry? But hey Jordan will do the movie." Morgan tells him, patting his newest son's back and sitting down on the couch.

"Say Jessie, since we can't go outside with the paparazzi and all, what do you say we get to know each other in my room?" Jordan asks her.

"Uhm, sure." Jessie says, looking at Emma who isn't paying attention and Ryan who is to tired to pay attention to anything.

The two then enter Ryan's room.

* * *

"Whoa, what happened here?" Jessie says, looking around the normally tidy room which had most of its containers opened or spilled out.

"That's my bad, uhm I thought your kids hid my stuff, apparently they handed it off to the fangirls." Jordan confesses.

"I better clean it up before you leave." Jessie says, starting put a few boxes back.

"Don't worry, I can do that tomorrow." He says.

"No, I can't let you do that, let me." She says continuing to tidy up.

"If you insist, so do you have anything you want to know about me?" Jordan asks her.

"Uhm, yeah… Wait, where did this come from?" Jessie asks him, seeing a couple pictures she never saw before in Ryan's room.

"Uhm, that small box there." Jordan tells her, pointing at the only thing Ryan kept to himself ever since arriving at the Ross's.

Jessie can't stop her curiosity and looks through a few pictures, seeing 2 of the Ross's kids together up top, but the more she looks through the more pictures of her are in it either alone or with one of Ryan's siblings, most she knew about but some she didn't even know existed. When she gets to one of the lowest 5 pictures, she sees the one from Christmas where Ryan is carrying while she's still asleep with the Mistletoe taped to it. And after it she sees a picture of her and Luke posing in their Zombie costumes while carrying softair guns with the sticker she gave him on it.

"Hey, everything alright? Shouldn't I have opened that box?" Jordan asks her, seeing her freeze up while looking through the pictures.

"Probably not, it's the only thing Ryan keeps private, but what's worse is I shouldn't have looked through it." Jessie says, putting the pictures back before she can finish looking through them even though only three are left.

"So anyways, what you probably don't about me is…" Jordan says and tells her a few more things about him while Jessie continues to tidy up a bit more and is paying attention to Jordan but whenever her eyes come across the small box she gets lost in thought.

"Are you OK? Ever since you saw those pictures you've been kind of different." Jordan asks her.

"Yes I'm fine. I think. I don't know." Jessie replies.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

"I've been looking forward to our date all day and now that we have the chance to be alone together all I can think about is Ryan and his box." Jessie says, taking the box and looking at it.

"Forget about the box." Jordan tells her, putting it on Ryan's table.

He then leans in for a kiss only for Jessie to lean back, avoiding it.

"Is something wrong?" Jordan asks, stepping away.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this." Jessie says and quickly leaves the room, going back in hers.

That evening, after everyone is asleep Jordan gets out of bed and goes over to Jessie's room, knocking on her door.

"What?" Jessie asks, opening the door dressed in only a loose pajama.

"Oh Jordan, sorry. What is it?" Jessie asks, pulling her top down and trying to tame her hair.

"I looked at the photos earlier and I don't know what's the big deal is? So he has a few photos with you in it." Jordan says.

"What? You looked at them, even though I told you that it's his only private stuff?" Jessie asks shocked.

"Well yeah, I wanted to know why you rejected me. That hasn't happened before." Jordan tells her.

"Please just leave, I'm not the right girl for you OK?" Jessie tells him, shutting the door.

"Weird." Jordan says to himself but gets back to sleep in his room.

* * *

|Next day - evening|

The whole day was rather uneventful, the family kept the elevator door shut and spend most of the time either listening to Jordan and his stories or Morgan's. The only one not to partake was Ryan, who spend the day gaming in Luke's room, hanging out with Mr. Kipling while reading a book or doing Bertram's job since the butler has gotten a week off and Ryan gets paid as household helper.

Emma notices that Jessie isn't after Jordan anymore, which confuses her but she's happy about it non the less.

Jordan took Jessie's rejection to heart and refrained from asking her out again but has no ill feeling towards her.

"So, it was nice to stay here and get to know you. I'm looking forward to working together with you Morgan." Jordan tells him, disguised again while he waits for the elevator.

"Yeah, and I think I speak for all of us when I say it was exciting to get to know you too." Morgan tells him with his family plus Jessie standing behind him.

"I will see you on set then." Morgan tells him, waving goodbye while Jordan enters the elevator.

Once he's in the elevator Ryan heads to the kitchen to clean up the dining area.

Moments after he's in there Jessie enters.

"Hey, I though you'd have shown our star guest outside?" Ryan asks her surprised.

"No. Hey, can you do me a favor and come to my room tonight?" Jessie asks him.

"Sure." Ryan agrees, shrugging his shoulders while his head is going wild trying to figure out what she wants.

* * *

|That night|

Ryan helped Jessie put everyone to sleep, having put Ravi to sleep and then played a final round of Luke's video game against him.

"Hah, I told you you can't beat me." Luke gloats once he defeats Ryan.

"Just wait, one day I'll get you. Now you have to go to sleep or we'll both get in trouble." Ryan tells him.

"Why are you so worried about that? Live a little." Luke yawns.

"Sure, if you go to sleep, I'll do that." Ryan tells him, walking out Luke's room and turning off the lights.

"Ugh, now to get my things." Ryan says, walking back to the living room and getting his bag and his pillow, bringing them to his room.

Once he put them in his room he goes over to Jessie's door, knocking lightly while asking "Jessie?"

"Oh, give me a second." Jessie says while she's putting on her pjs.

"Come in." She says, opening the door for him once she got dressed.

"So what did you want to see me about that I have to come while everyone's asleep?" Ryan asks her, leaning against her table while Jessie is preparing her bed and sits down on it's edge.

"I have to confess something." Jessie tells him, sounding worried.

"You alright? Did that dude do something to you? Cause I can kick his ass if you want." Ryan asks her alerted at her tone.

"No, well he tried to kiss me but, nevermind. The thing is after Jordan found out everyone told where he's staying he was looking for his stuff, which Luke gave away and he went through your things." Jessie tells him.

"And when I tidied up, because I didn't want you to have to do it with how exhausted you were the first day I went through your box. Look it was open already and curiosity got the best of me." Jessie tells him, looking at him guiltily and notices him clench when she mentions the box.

"I told you not to look in it." Ryan sighs.

"Yes but I did and I'm sorry." Jessie apologizes.

"Yeah don't worry. I'll get over it. Look if that's all I'm gonna head to my room and get some shut eye." Ryan tells her sounding disappointed.

"No, wait Ryan. I really mean it, I'm sorry. I know you have a hard time trusting anyone and I go and do the only thing you asked me not to do." Jessie says apologetically, going over to him and taking his hand.

"It happens, look you came clean about it so, don't worry." He tells her, hugging her quickly and walks to her door.

"Wait." She says, stopping him when he reaches her door.

"What now?" Ryan asks, turning to face her only for Jessie to give him a deep kiss while pulling him in by his wifebeater

"Well I certainly wasn't expecting that." Ryan says stupefied when Jessie steps back and releases her hold on him.

"When I looked through the box I noticed that almost all of it are pictures with me in it and when I saw the mistletoe and the sticker I knew why you kept that box secret, you didn't want to make things awkward between us again." She tells him.

"I did, but this time you're the question raising party." He replies, looking at the intensely.

"Ryan, the whole time I spend time alone with Jordan all I could think about was that box. And I didn't understand it until today. I think I should throw caution in the wind and give this a shot regardless of our current situation. So, what do you say?" Jessie tells him, taking his hand gingerly.

"Like you need to ask. I guess you didn't check the timestamps on those pictures. I never stopped hoping you'd change your mind." Ryan says with a smirk and leans in for a kiss, with her closing the rest of the distance.

"So, now that it's clear what we both want how do we break this to the others?" Ryan asks her, pointing between himself and her while he brushes her hair out of her face with his other hand.

"Oh shit, I didn't even think about what Morgan would think. The kids will get used to it but my employer and your dad." Jessie says realizing what she forgot.

"Oh, the parents you don't need to worry about I think." Ryan says.

"Why?" She asks curious.

"I kind of asked for their opinion on my crush on you like two weeks after we started living here." Ryan tells her.

"and they were just OK with it?" Jessie asks surprised.

"Well yeah, they warned me that we should make sure it's worth it because the others love you as a nanny and I shouldn't go and screw that up." Ryan informs her.

"Let me see something." Jessie says and pulls him close again by his wifebeater and gives him a hungry kiss with Ryan joining in this time.

"Yep, definitely worth it." Jessie says with a playful grin, popping the p from yep.

"I agree." He tells her.

"Look it's late and we're both tired I think, so let's discuss how to break this to the others tomorrow alright?" He asks her.

"OK, oh and you know something?" Jessie says, stopping him before he can leave her room.

"What?" Ryan asks curious.

"I realized what went wrong with most of the dates I've had so far." She says.

"And that is?" He asks.

"Not one guy ever really paid attention to me, sure they complimented my looks but I've never had someone ask anything about me or go out of their way to help me. You're the first." She tells him, pecking his cheek and sends him outside.

Unnoticed by them Emma was on her way to get a glass of water and sees Jessie give Ryan the peck on his cheek before she closes her door.

"Interesting." Emma says to herself with a wide smile.


	7. breaking it to the family

|next day|

Ryan wakes up and throws on a shirt and new pants and then makes his way to the kitchen to start making breakfast for the family since Bertram is gone.

"Oh Ryan, I didn't even know you were up." Morgan greets him, coming into the kitchen.

"Yeah, I thought I'd make breakfast for everybody." Ryan informs him.

"Coffee?" Ryan asks, offering his foster father a cup of coffee.

"Thanks and that's nice of you." Morgan says accepting the cup.

"With Bertram having free I feel kind of responsible for this." Ryan tells him with a small smile, taking a sip out of his own coffee while he's making eggs and bacon in a pan.

"Morning" Jessie greets the two, walking into the kitchen in leggings and a lose tanktop and joins Morgan at the kitchen counter.

"Well I'm sorry but I have to leave already but the director wants to check out the venue." Morgan tells them.

"Alright, take care." Ryan tells him.

"Will do and you two keep an eye on the others alright." Morgan tells them, heading for the elevator, leaving his cup on the counter.

"So, we're alone for a bit huh?" Jessie says with a smirk as she hops of the barstool and walks over to Ryan, jumping up and sits down on the counter, facing the cooking teen.

"I'd love to use this chance, but I'm afraid if I do we'll be having two sides of coal for breakfast." Ryan says turning around and closing the distance between them, giving her a kiss on her nose playfully.

"Why don't you wake up the others and we'll talk on the balcony after breakfast." Ryan suggests.

"OK" Jessie agrees with a giggle, when he kissed her nose.

Jessie then leaves to wake the kids in her care and arrives on the balcony soon after, with Ryan bringing the food and drinks on the service table standing on the balcony.

The group of six then eat their breakfast together, after they're done however Jessie helps Ryan clear the table, checking where the kids have gone to. Emma convinced everyone to come to their home cinema with her. When they get there Luke asks her "what are you all secretive about Emma?"

"I saw something which requires investigation." Emma tells them.

"Ohh, I like a good mystery." Ravi says excited.

"So, what'd you see?" Zuri asks, crossing her arms expectantly.

"I saw Ryan come out of Jessie's room late last night and she kissed his cheek." Emma informs them.

"So? Jessie kissed my cheek when I burned myself the other day." Luke says.

"Yeah but when have you ever seen her kiss Ryan?" Emma asks him.

"You're right big sister, I have never seen her do it to Ryan." Ravi agrees.

"So, what are we doing in here? We have to confront them." Luke says and is ready to walk out of the room.

"Stop, do you really think you'll get anything out of Ryan?" Emma stops him.

"Then let's spy on them." Zuri suggests. The four kids then observe the two, who have by now finished clearing the table bur since their backs are turned towards them they can't see anything and they sneak out of the viewing room until they are all pressed against the walls leading to the balcony.

"Sure, but won't that raise more questions than it would if we just told them?" Ryan asks after Jessie suggested they kiss in front of the kids to break the news.

"I guess but this way they'll definitely listen to us." Jessie tells him, running her hand up Ryan's arm.

"I am really surprised, I didn't know you were so ripped Ryan." Jessie tells him, squeezing his arm and then lets her hand brush over his shirt, lifting it slightly and tracing a finger over his abs, which are visible but not extremely so like with a bodybuilder.

"I'm sure there are a lot of things you don't know yet." Ryan tells her, putting his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close with her resting her head in the crook of his neck while they are both sitting on the balcony table.

"See I told you!" Emma whispers to her siblings both triumphant and happy for the couple.

"Unacceptable. Ryan, I got dibs." Luke says stepping out of his hiding spot.

"Luke come on you know that with a 7-year age difference is never going to work. I can't fault you for having a crush on Jessie though, you've got good taste little bro." Ryan tells him, getting of the table with Jessie and turning towards him and the others who can be seen peeking around corners.

"You can come out guys, we see you." Jessie tells the others, taking Ryans hand in hers.

"Jessie, finally a decent boyfriend." Emma says joyfully.

"Are you our sister now?" Zuri questions.

"How long has this been going on without us noticing?" Ravi asks shocked at the revelation.

"OK first, sorry Luke but I'm going out with Ryan. We just got together yesterday evening and no Zuri, I'm still your nanny." Jessie tells the group, entering the apartment with Ryan.

"Hmpf I'm not happy about this but I respect you enough to give but you better treat her right Ryan." Luke says scoffing quietly.

"As if you needed to say it. But thanks." Ryan tells Luke, ruffling his hair.

"What about Mr. Daddy?" Ravi asks.

"He was OK with it, but he doesn't know about us yet." Ryan tells him.

"Oh, oh can I be your bridesmaid?" Emma asks cheerfully.

"Emma!" Jessie yells embarrassed.

"Slow your role there, we haven't even been on a date yet." Ryan tells her amused.

"Anyways now you know about us so don't be surprised when I steal her every now and then." Ryan tells his siblings, giving Jessie's hand a squeeze and smile at her.

"Now. Who wants to go to the park?" Jessie asks, trying to mask her slight embarrassment by focusing on her job and they agree to go with everyone.

"Hey, you are OK with this right?" Ryan asks her, rubbing her arms gently.

"Yeah, some part of me wished we kept it secret, but I think this is the right move for a long-term relationship." Jessie tells him, looking in his eyes to show she means it.

"Yeah, so Emma as bridesmaid, what do you say?" Ryan teases her with a rarely seen smile.

"Shut up before I change my mind about going out with you." Jessie tells him, leaning towards him and putting her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a gentle kiss with Ryan pulling her close by her waist.

"Come on, the others should be ready by now." Jessie says, breaking the embrace and pulls him along behind her as they go to the elevator where the kids are already waiting for them.

* * *

|10 minutes later - at the park|

"So, what does everyone..." Jessie starts to say but the kids have already split up with Zuri on the slides, Ravi at a chess table and Emma got dragged away by Luke.

"Kind of familiar huh?" Ryan says.

"I'll go keep an eye on Ravi." He tells her, letting go of her hand which he had been holding the whole time.

"OK, Zuri be careful up there." Jessie warns the girl, heading over to the slides.

"Did you come to lose against the master?" Ravi challenges Ryan.

"You're on." Ryan says accepting the challenge.

When the two sit down, Ravi butt-dials Jessie accidentally and she answers the phone without looking who calls, resting it between her cheek and shoulder while she helps Zuri from the slide.

"Hello, who is this?" She asks, getting no reply.

"Say brother, what did you do to get Jessie to go out with you?" Ravi asks.

"Why are you asking? Do you have someone you like?" Ryan asks.

"No, no, I just like to be prepared." Ravi answers.

"Aha, well I was just honest with her and gave her support when she needed it. Why she agreed to go out with me is beyond me, my life is such a mess. Guess I was just lucky that a great girl like Jessie responded to my feelings." Ryan tells Ravi, making his first move on the chessboard.

"Aww." Jessie coos moved by what she heard and ends the call.

"What?" Zuri asks confused.

"Nothing." Jessie says with a wide smile as she looks over to Ryan who's back is turned to her.

"Teenagers!" Zuri says shaking her head with disappointment.

"Come Zuri, let's see what Luke and Emma are up to." Jessie says, pulling the little girl along behind her.


End file.
